Your post is full of faulty premises/assumptions.
Former ModerAAtor didn't say AA would get them the next day. Sold out for nearly two years? Nonsense.
Alaska recently announced orders for 39 737-800s to be delivered between now and the end of 2008, allowing it to replace all of its MD-80s by the end of 2008:
http://www.alaskasworld.com/newsroom/asnew...0313_045635.asp
Two of the 738s have already been delivered to Alaska.
Do you really think that Boeing would shrug at an order for 10-12 dozen 738s by AA?
Do you really think that Boeing is unable to ramp up the 737 production rates if it got a huge order from one of its largest customers?
Don't you think that $100 oil might cause some distress at some other 737 customers and cause them to try to put off future deliveries? AFAIK, Southwest and RyanAir are NOT the only 737 customers. Delta has some 738s on order - and so do lots of other airlines. Perhaps $100 oil would cause some other short-term delivery slots to become available at good prices.
Oil was still very cheap in the spring of 2003 - once again, hindsight is used to declare management's decisions as stupid and shortsighted. MD-80s with cheap lease rates still looked like the better decision than expensive rates on new airplanes when AA was running low on cash.
Now, however, new fuel efficient airplanes are looking like a better deal - Alaska thinks the crossover point has already been reached.