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The 737 is also an old design, right? Is there any particular reason that one has been modernized more than the 747?

coredog64 9y ago
Airlines buy a lot more 20 million dollar planes than they do of 140 million dollar planes. The installed base makes it like Windows. Sure, there are many flaws, but it's so cheap and easy to run most airlines don't care.
- CaptainZapp 9y ago
  If you're talking new planes you're way off with those prices. The cheapest 737 went for an average price of 80.6M $. That's average and not the list price, which is higher. The most expensive Boeing offering was the 777-9 with an average price of 400M. [1] The Airbus prices I found with a brief search are from 2013 and range from 83.9M$ for the 319 (I didn't count the 318, since I've never ever seen it in operation) to 403.9M$ (A380-800). 140 million is pretty far away from getting you any new widebody plane from those companies. [1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/273941/prices-of-boeing-aircraft-by-type/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/273941/prices-of-boeing-... [2] http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2013/01/new-airbus-aircraft-list-prices-for-2013.html http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2013/01/new...
TylerE 9y ago
Not really. The 737 is sorta like the Porsche 911. Same name, same shape, almost a totally different plane under the skin. When the 737NG came out in the mid-90s (-600,-700,-800,-900) is was basically a brand new airplane. Now, 20 years, later, Boeing has just started deliveries of the new 737 MAX generation, which again brings substantial improvements.
tallanvor 9y ago
The number of passengers it seats is sort of a sweet spot, and even during bad times for the airlines, there are still plenty of routes that can maintain the numbers to make it viable to fly a 737. The 747 has a much more limited number of routes where it is viable, so there's less incentive for Boeing to spend money on it. But don't confuse the 737 of today with that of the original. There have been 3 major redesigns since the original (Classic, NG, and MAX), to the point where the MAX shares little more than the name with the original.
skgoa 9y ago
One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the 737 is slowly losing market share. Boeing had to lower the price significantly to generate sales, yet the 737's major draw for customers seems to be the sheer unavailability of A320 production slots in the near and medium term.

Airlines buy a lot more 20 million dollar planes than they do of 140 million dollar planes. The installed base makes it like Windows. Sure, there are many flaws, but it's so cheap and easy to run most airlines don't care.

CaptainZapp 9y ago
If you're talking new planes you're way off with those prices. The cheapest 737 went for an average price of 80.6M $. That's average and not the list price, which is higher. The most expensive Boeing offering was the 777-9 with an average price of 400M. [1] The Airbus prices I found with a brief search are from 2013 and range from 83.9M$ for the 319 (I didn't count the 318, since I've never ever seen it in operation) to 403.9M$ (A380-800). 140 million is pretty far away from getting you any new widebody plane from those companies. [1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/273941/prices-of-boeing-aircraft-by-type/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/273941/prices-of-boeing-... [2] http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2013/01/new-airbus-aircraft-list-prices-for-2013.html http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2013/01/new...

TylerE 9y ago

Not really. The 737 is sorta like the Porsche 911. Same name, same shape, almost a totally different plane under the skin. When the 737NG came out in the mid-90s (-600,-700,-800,-900) is was basically a brand new airplane. Now, 20 years, later, Boeing has just started deliveries of the new 737 MAX generation, which again brings substantial improvements.

tallanvor 9y ago

The number of passengers it seats is sort of a sweet spot, and even during bad times for the airlines, there are still plenty of routes that can maintain the numbers to make it viable to fly a 737. The 747 has a much more limited number of routes where it is viable, so there's less incentive for Boeing to spend money on it. But don't confuse the 737 of today with that of the original. There have been 3 major redesigns since the original (Classic, NG, and MAX), to the point where the MAX shares little more than the name with the original.

skgoa 9y ago

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the 737 is slowly losing market share. Boeing had to lower the price significantly to generate sales, yet the 737's major draw for customers seems to be the sheer unavailability of A320 production slots in the near and medium term.