Originally Posted by
TED74
I'm not joking at all.
My family has two cars, one is paid off and the other has a payment. This has zero effect on my choice of what to drive on any given road trip. We choose the one that matches our needs for each trip. I would think Delta matches aircraft capability and operating cost to our routes.
I always hear this "conventional wisdom" about paid off jets being easier to temporarily park and honestly doing understand it. Delta's profitability by aircraft matters not (unless I'm missing something).
I'd buy parking 88s and 90s because they (being older) are more expensive to operate, but not simply because they are paid off. If anything, there could be a case for flying them extra (and temporarily parking leased jets) to squeeze any remaining life out of 88s and 90s before retiring them.
That’s not how management thinks. I suspect if your older paid for car was a maintenance intensive gas guzzler you would park it first. Management will do the same. By definition in a downturn we are trying to cut not increase costs. That is why they call the MD88/90 the accumulator fleet and have in the past used it as such.