[conspire] De-MAXing (the rebranding begins)

[Rick Moen]

Notoriously cut-rate Dublin-based budget airline Ryanair has for the
past few years been a purchaser of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.  Well, in
today's _Guardian_, there's news (with phto) of a new MAX emerging from Boeing's
Renton, WA assembly plant in Ryanair livery -- but with the designation
'737-8200' on each side of the nose -- where up until now Boeing has
inscribed '737 MAX'.  

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/15/boeing-737-max-ordered-by-ryanair-undergoes-name-change

As the _Guardian_ reporter points out, livery choices are decreed by the
airline, not the manufacturer, but my inference is that this is one of
possibly several dodges that will soon be used to bury the problematic
'737 MAX' branding when Boeing and the world's aviation regulators
re-certify the thing for flight, which I expect will happen in 2nd qtr.
2020.

'737 MAX' (often with a suffix number, 8 or 9 or 10, to indicate
differing fuselage lengths and passenger capacities) is a marketing term
for a generation/series.  By contrast, '737-8200' is a technical type
designation used by the European Union's airline regulators (i.e., by
EASA).  So, Ryanair, if it were willing to comment (which it isn't) 
could claim this isn't rebranding:  It's just total coincidence that
'MAX' got dropped on the floor, I'm positive.


Flew  Marketing name   EASA Type   ICAO Type  Capac. Length
----  --------------   --------    ------- -  -----  ------
1967  737              737-100     B731       118     94'
1967  737              737-200     B732       130    100'
1984  737 Classic      737-300     B733       140    110'
1988  737 Classic      737-400     B734       168    120'
1989  737 Classic      737-500     B735       132    102'
1998  737 NG           737-600     B736       130    103'
1997  737 NG           737-700     B737       140    110'
1997  737 NG           737-800ER   B738       175    130'
2006  737 NG           737-900ER   B739       177    138'
2016  737 MAX-8        737-8       B38M       200    130'
2017  737 MAX-9        737-9       B39M       220    138'
2018  737 MAX-7        737-7       B37M       172    117'
2019  737 MAX-200      737-8200    tba        200    130'
2019  737 MAX-10       tba         tba        230    143'

(I'm omitting some variants.)