The Real Reason Southwest Airlines Still Hasn't Retired Its Oldest Boeing 737-700s

Southwest Airlines is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars overhauling late-1990s Boeing 737-700s, keeping jets that have logged tens of thousands of flight hours in active service and rolling out assigned seating and premium cabin options. Rather than opting for a clean break from its oldest workhorses, the low-cost carrier continues to rely on three-decade-old airframe technology to fly major domestic routes.