Really not surprising to me. What is surprising is that they waited as long as they did. As soon as they announced the 14 777-300s that was my first question. If they didn't retire the 747 then the 777-300s would have been all new capacity, plus as the article said the 777-300 has 20% less fuel costs per seat mile. That is a HUGE difference and makes so it seems to me to make good sense to get rid of the 747s and replace them with 777-300s. Sounds like a pending announcement soon, and I bet it will include a couple more 777-300s! (Or at least I hope so
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As to the 350, I'll take the other side of that bet. Posters on the other forum say TK already has a pilot or two in training for the 350. That alone isn't proof positive since we all know how well Network Planning keeps TK informed of pending changes but it does offer some hope that the 350 hasn't yet been scrapped from future plans.