Originally Posted by
Andrew_VT
Missing from this discussion is the E195-E2. This stretched and updated plane can go further than our E190 and Max out our group 1 limit nicely.
Three classes120 seats | 12 @ 36" | 24 @ 34" | 84 @ 31" pitch
a. Group I: With the exception of aircraft identified in Groups II through V below, any aircraft
configured (i.e. as operated by American Airlines) with greater than seventy-six (76) seats
and less than one-hundred-eighteen (118) seats, including E190/195, CRJ-1000, MRJ-
100, and Bombardier CS100.
Honestly I think managements goal is to keep as little flying from creeping into mainline as possible. There are a ton of markets the 100-120 seat mainline plane would be nice to have but keep in mind the total ramifications of it. Not only pilots, but filtering all the way down to station ops that have contracts that dictate mainline above and below wing personnel.
Delta doesn’t have that issue. They outsource all their ground ops pretty much system wide to DGS (now spun off to get rid of flying benefits) but do use Delta agents above the wing. Also our mtc contract stipulates mainline mechanics as well. Delta...not so much.
There are so many variables that you can’t real compare us to Delta. Just adding another mainline flight might trigger a cost structure that suddenly makes the station unprofitable.
Not that long ago the DC9 didn’t even have 70 seats and was a mainline aircraft. Obviously that ship has sailed but just goes to show you what we've lost. Long term, we will grow ASMs by upgauging seating capacity on mainline planes, example for every AA 737 Doug switches to 172 seats vs premerger 150, we essentially expand by 15% overnight for almost no increase in operating cost.