Boeing 737 Refresh?

[smokejumper]

Boeing is apparently considering a re-fresh of the 737, in lieu of a new airframe. Story: http://blogs.kansas.com/aviation/2010/0 ... -20-years/

Analyst: Boeing likely to re-engine 737s, keep plane around another 15 to 20 yearsBoeing continues to modestly improve its flagship 737 jetliner and is introducing improvements next year to improve fuel burn by 2 percent. The amount of fuel a jetliner burns is a big deal to airliners.

In addition, Boeing plans to add a 787-inspired Sky Interior this year.The interior has a “wow” effect that will overshadow Airbus’ 2007 update of the interior of the A320 family, wrote Leeham analyst Scott Hamilton. The improvements keep the 737 slightly ahead of the A320 family in “performance, look and feel,” he wrote.

But in Hamilton’s view, the advantages will be short-lived. Airbus will introduce a winglet for the A320 in 2012, followed by winglets for the A321 and A318, a move that will improve fuel burn by about 3.5 percent.

Boeing may be able to “live with” the situation since the lighter-weight 737 means lower landing fees and reportedly somewhat less maintenance, he said. Plus the 737-800 carries 12 more passengers than the A320, giving airlines greater revenue opportunities.

But Airbus, in Hamilton’s view, will decide this year to move forward with a re-engining program for the A320 family that would improve fuel burn by 12 percent to 16 percent.

“Boeing cannot let this stand, and we believe Boeing will likewise announce a re-engine program for the 737,” Hamilton wrote.

The improvements will push replacement airplanes for the 737 and the A320 out to the latter half of the 2020 decade, he said, unless “some regulatory environmentally-based legislation intervenes or a dramatically better airplane technology emerges in the first half of the 2020 decade.”

The 737 and A320 should be around another 15 to 20 years, he said.

And that would be good news for Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, where the 737 fuselage is built.
By Molly McMillin

Read more: http://blogs.kansas.com/aviation/2010/0 ... z0blbYsBMl

[funki]

The new interior is impressive imo, can't wait to see it in real life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwdi9waEmJQ&NR=1

[Air Key West]

I am going to disappoint the Boeing fans by saying this, but playing with light and colors doesn't improve passenger comfort. I am not a fan of any particular aircraft manufacturer. I compare comfort onboard aircraft, which, I know, varies, inter alia, according to the seat pitch and seat width select by airlines.
However, in terms of seat width in economy class on short and medium haul aircraft, the 737s perform rather poorly with a standard seat width of 17 inches. Only the Sukhoi 100 offers less width at 16.23 inches, whereas the A320 family of aircraft offer a seat width varying from 17.2 to 18 inches (on Air Canada). Even the EMB135-145 and the CRJ which are offened considered as being "uncomfortable" offer a seat width at, respectively, 17.3 and 17.5 inches. The best "students of the class" seem to be the MRJ at 18 inches and the EMB170-195 with 18.25 inches. So, some will say what does a difference of an inch mean. it means 2.5 cm more, which may seem little, but it counts, at least to me.
Boeing's 737s are certainly fantastic planes from a technical point of view, but I hate to fly them because of their narrow seats.

[RoMax]

The light makes a lot of difference in passengers comfort. This strategy is already used on a lot of the long haul planes, and I am sure it will make a difference for early morning, late evening and night flights.
The fact that the overhead bins a larger than before makes a lot of difference for a lot of passengers.
These are small things, but it makes such a difference.