Originally Posted by DVR6K
. . . range or payload of an -800 would be enough to warrant long distances across water . .
There was a classic quote from the Boeing supersalesman, who retired a couple of years ago, about the -800 (165 pax, 2940 nm). He said it had the almost same passenger capacity and range as the early Boeing 707s (181 pax and 3000 nm). That should do to start some serious overwater ops.
My own thoughts are that Boeing snuck a bit of a swift one through with the -800 and -900 and mis-used the 'grandfather' clause - again. To my simple mind, the main relationship between an early model 737 and a late model 737 is that they both have two engines and a single aisle. I hope no-one seriously believes that the 737-100 certification was really meant to cover the -800. I'm sure the Europeans don't.