Originally Posted by
Bluedriver
I will just add that JB already has an A220-300 program up and running. That horse is already out of the barn. The A220-300 does have better economics than an A319NEO, and there may be many routes that don't need the capacity of an A320NEO.
But I also think you fail to look just a little further into the future, with the inevitable launch of the A220-500, which will have been economics than the A320NEO with similar capacity. With a future fleet of 600+ aircraft, they can have two fleet types if they want, and probably works out better for some/much of the pilot group to spread out seniority a little bit.
I struggle to see a role for the A319 in the fleet 3-5yrs post merger. I would be very very surprised if the 319neo was ever delivered to NK/JB.
The A220-500 will be a workhorse and no doubt we see it replace a lot of our current A320ceo capacity.
The most economical variant of any given airframe is the one that holds the most pax. A321 vs A319, A220-500 vs A220-100