Originally Posted by
Flybynight101
You’re missing the context of my post. I’m saying that when people say you can’t replace the MD one for one with the 76, you absolutely could with these domestic loads. Money has nothing to do with what I’m getting at. I hear time and time again that the 777 is the only plane that can replace the MD. Well not when we’re only taking 40k to CLT…
Except that the MD is doing a lot more than 40k to CLT. The average domestic load for the MD that I have seen has been between 80-100k. I’ve seen as heavy as 120k and as light as zero. The MD also can haul far more volume (cubic feet) than the 76 which can also be useful. I used to think that a 76 and 74 airline made the most sense. However, the 74 production line is gone and the 76 will be in a few years. We don’t have enough “heavy” lift today (which is why the MD is in Asia) and we don’t have enough light twins, which is why we are ordering 19 more 76s. If the company wanted a simplified fleet it would have ordered more -8s (maybe 10-15 more?) and jumped on the factory 76f in a much bigger way earlier. We wouldn’t be upgrading the A300s. Management wasn’t sufficiently proactive and now we have lost the option to simplify the fleet.