WestJet To Consider 737 MAX 7 Stretch

WestJet Airlines said it will consider a slightly larger version of the Boeing 737 MAX 7, as the carrier prepares to take delivery of 65 737s by 2027.

"We're still working with Boeing on the 737 and the MAX," WestJet chief financial officer Harry Taylor said.

"If it (a larger MAX 7) looks like that's a good alternative, or a better alternative, we'll take advantage of it for sure."

WestJet has looked at a larger variant of the MAX 7, the smallest plane in Boeing's revamped 737 line, which seats 126 passengers. It joins US low cost carrier Southwest in expressing interest in a proposed MAX 7X, which could seat about 150.

Boeing declined to comment on whether it would go ahead with a larger 7X.

Boeing, in an effort to be more competitive against Airbus, has considered revamping both its 7X, and in the longer run, the MAX 9 by equipping it with a larger engine.

WestJet has ordered 65 of the 737 MAX planes from Boeing, including 25 of the smaller MAX 7s, with delivery starting in 2019. Deliveries of the remaining 40 orders of the larger 737 MAX 8 are to begin in 2017.

Taylor said WestJet is working with Boeing on the configuration of the planes it has ordered and wants to strike the optimal balance between passenger comfort and density, including features such as seat pitch.

"We don't want to damage the guest experience through that (packing in seats)," Taylor said on the sidelines of the Insight Canadian Airline Investment Conference in Toronto. "Some airlines have put such aggressive pitch in that it's a poor guest experience."

Taylor said WestJet will also own 45 Bombardier Q400s by the end of 2018.