Originally Posted by
Bluedriver
We aren't taking any more A320s, but our newest ones are only 5-7 years old, so we will have A320s for another 15-20 years.
Long term they will likely replace retiring A320s with a combination of new A321s and A220-*500-700*s. But I do not believe they replace a single A320 for an A220-*100-300* (unless we are in a major long-term recession).
In the medium term they will replace retiring A320s with A321s.
Agree they made the right decision with the A220.
Never really minded the Rams horns, but now I realize that the Rams horns makes my dinner table impossible, and that is completely unsat. The worst part of the cockpit step, for me, is how it forces your feet 6" higher when seated. I looked like I was sitting in a kindergarten chair and it was a beech on my back.
I may finally pull the upgrade trigger when the A220 shows en-masse.
I could see us taking some A320NEO+s if airbus revisits the idea. Depending on the 797/MoM decisions by Boeing and Airbus, I expect an XLR 321 variant with a new wingbox, possibly a new wing. Airbus has said they expect to rewing the 320 series in 10 years or so (according to something I read), and if the 320NEO had 3 extra rows of space it’d be a better competitor to the Max 8 (why the 320neo+ concept came to be) and I see us buying those as 320 replacements in 10–15 years depending on the 220-5/700 development. At some point 6 abreast becomes more efficient than 5 abreast, and I think a theoretical a220-500 may be the last viable stretch. The -300 is already just about as long as a 737-8, and a -500 would conceivably be as long as a 737-9, or just shy of it. Apparently tailstrikes, deck angles, and approach speeds would be an issue as the plane approaches that length, which is why I predict AB stops the stretch at the -500 (~150 seats in 32” pitch config) with a rewinged/improved 320 series for the ~160+ seat market. A new 6 abreast small narrow body with A220 systems architecture would be cool too, but with the 320/321NEO backlog I don’t see any engineering bucks going to that for a while.