Originally Posted by
Truthanator
You're right, it's less than 1/2 the cost.
73-8 Crew: CA ~$250/hr FO ~$150/hr
E175 Crew: CA~ $90/hr FO~$45
I'll let you do that math.
I've heard countless pax say they like that E175 better than a 73. Sorry, I'm on the same side, but I'm also a realist. You are correct, it could be done with guppys, but the pilot group and the company will never get that totally figured out. We've all read about what SK wants.
We can hate it all we want. The regional jets are here to stay, and we all are to blame.
I'll eat all the crow you can barbecue when the 76 seat jets are on the mainline property.
You nailed it! Large jets have a place in the future if you are a low cost airline like Spirit or Frontier. Smaller jets from 76 to 130 seats are expected to grow the most. The E175 can be configured to 88 seats and it would reduce the operating costs significantly. The MRJ doesn't meet scope restrictions, but it can be configured to 100 seats I believe. Boeing recognizes the future and that's why they want to buy/invest in Embraer.
The future without doubt is the low cost model. United has finally recognized it and that's why they are adding significant capacity to compete with the LCCs, but I don't think it will work. UAL doesn't have a low cost model, can they invest 50% in ExpressJet and other regionals and turn them into a low cost/codesharing airline? The B737/Airbus has an obvious place in the market, but it's saturated with LCCs that are growing capacity. United and other majors will have a difficult time in the international market with the growing LCCs as well. Lots of challenges ahead!