Southwest’s all-Boeing 737 strategy and the AF tanker contest

Southwest LUVs Boeing 737s like the Pentagon loves either the KC-767 or the KC-30 … exclusively.

Southwest’s RedBellyRadio did this recent podcast on why Southwest flies only Boeing 737s.

A couple talking points from the podcast:

• Southwest considered ordering DC-9s but called Boeing from the McDonnell Douglas lobby.
• Southwest did fly six 727s in the 1970s before going all 737.
• Former Boeing CEO Phil Condit always expected Southwest to switch over to the 757s. But Southwest wanted to stick with one family of aircraft for commonality purposes.

Much of the logic that Southwest uses for sticking with Boeing 737s is the same argument given by the Pentagon for wanting to award a sole-source Air Force tanker contract rather than splitting the deal between the Boeing Co. and Northrop.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates seems to have gotten his way for the moment in squashing an attempt to split the $35 billion tanker contest. That means, like Southwest’s all-737 fleet, the Air Force’s tanker fleet could be strictly Boeing’s KC-767s or Northrop-EADS’ KC-30s.

Southwest also recently posted an interesting video on the function of aircraft flaps – it features a father-daughter Southwest employee duo.

Southwest Airlines’ My Old Man in Maintenance: Aircraft Flaps