Originally Posted by
Mobilae
You do have a point there. However some of the largest low cost carriers (Ryanair, Southwest, Lionair, Westjet) did apparently choose the 737 at some point.
That is true, and then some others did not choose the 737 or even changed fleets. Easyjet started out as a 737 only operator, and later on switched to be a full A320 one. IAG with its portfolio of airlines now seems to go the opposite way. And Ryanair after all is operating both 737s and A320 family aircraft, although their A320 portfolio arrived only recently, they will probably never switch the main ryanair brand to A320s, but on the other hand they seem not keen to switch their Laudamotion A320s to 737s anytime soon.
Originally Posted by
Mobilae
But then maybe I should turn the question around: Why do practically all EU flag carriers operate the A320? I believe KLM is the only exception (aside from some operators using both).
It has advantages depending on overall fleet. First thing is container loading which works very well in a hub and spoke system, and then of course if your other fleets consist of mainly airbus types, training cost becomes a major factor as it is extremely fast to transition from one airbus type to another. Switching from A320s to A330s in my previous airlines was just three simulator sessions and a week of ground school plus some line training. Switching from the 737 to the A320 on the other hand took 11 simulator sessions and a month of ground school. The other way round even longer as basic trimming technique had to be trained again. Now, the training was in excess of the minimum required by the regulator, but still done to be able to train to proficiency.
And then there is of course history. Many major EU carriers were at some point partly or completely government owned, some still are (Air Baltic for example and Alitalia could be seen that way). And Airbus started out as a state business as well, so there was quite an impetus on ordering from them.