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CO started this year with the delivery of a new 737-900ER, the first of an order of 27.
http://www.continental.com/web/en-US....aspx?i=PRNEWS
I wonder if any of you have some inner information and can refer to these questions:
1) Are those 739s meant to replace existing planes or to add to CO's capacity?
2) Does CO plan to operate them in trans-Atlantic routes, for example to the U.K or Sweden?
CO claims 3175nm of range, which theoretically can be used for routes in the UK/Ireland/Portugal (Norway/Sweden is too far), but I'd imagine these will largely replace 757s on longer routes ex-EWR like the mid-tier Florida markets, the Caribbean, and Central America. The 757 fleet is in pretty heavy demand for Europe, and I'm sure Continental would love to free some up.
I believe that CO plans to repalce their 737-800 fleet with these? Not completley sure
One problem though is that they have not added bathrooms! I would never imagine flying Transatlantic with only 2 bathrooms, It would be unbearable after any meal times or when the seatbelt sign was off.
We see one of them at DTW.
They are gonna free up the 752's from domestic use and for some of the longer routes that the 738's are currently flying (Central America, etc...).
Even so, with over 200 passengers on these routes, and only two bathrooms, how will that work out?