How many pax can you afford to buy off before the cost savings of the airplane evaporates (rhetorical question)?

Someone told me the CFM56 was good to like 34k #'s. Can't we just dial them up a bit to get the performance needed for those situations?

It's evident too in places like STT where we're going in with 700's and DAL/AA are using 757's.

It's a good rugged airplane when it isnt stretched so thin. I've flown with one guy whose got 20k+ hours in the guppy and never had a major mechanical emergency, that's saying something!