Southwest 'evaluating' 737-800; final decision by Dec. 1

Southwest Airlines Executive VP and COO Mike Van de Ven said the LCC is "evaluating" converting some of its future 737-700 deliveries to -800s "but we have not yet finalized our decision." Writing on the airline's blog, available on its website, he said he was relaying information shared with employees Friday. With no final decision made, "any details regarding configuration, timing and quantity of deliveries are still to be determined," he said, adding that SWA "would need to make a final decision by Dec. 1 to begin accepting deliveries by early 2012."

The -800 would introduce "additional complexities to our operation," he conceded, but pointed to the larger aircraft's benefits: "More seating capacity than the -700...[and would be a] complementary fit to our current fleet by supplementing opportunities for longer-haul flying while also potentially improving our unit costs."

He said that "the -800 can also give Southwest scheduling flexibility by allowing for additional capacity in high-demand, slot-controlled, or gate-restricted markets—in other words, we can carry more passengers to some of our most popular destinations." He did not mention international flying, but Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly said SWA likely will make a decision "sometime this year" on if and when it will start international service (ATW Daily News, July 30).

At ATW's Eco-Aviation Conference in June, Van de Ven called on aircraft manufacturers to develop a new narrowbody aircraft (ATW Daily News, June 25).