Originally Posted by
mking84
XJT currently has its fuel hedged for 2008 for its Branded, DAL pro-rate flying. CAL CPA and DAL CPA are not affected by fuel prices. Branded is doing well too....its been a year guys, the load factor is up, it is still flying and generating interest. This is NOT an overnight operation, I think people need to remember it. Just because it doesn't work perfectly today, it has made great strides. Just watch.
The XRJ is efficient for a few other reasons. It will carry 50 people, with all their bags, a long way. IE IAH-YYZ, IAH-ZIH, IAH-PIT, OKC-EWR, AUS-CLE. Its a good plane. You also have to remember that all of our LRJs are now LR2s, with a post-weight mod, that allows us to carry an additional 1,000lbs of weight in the reg. LRG. XJT can fill a 50 seat airplane with bags and gas b/c we have invested so much into w/b programs. So 50 seats or not, they are efficient aircraft.
It doesn't matter if "branded" is improving, the point that is being made is that it is still losing tons of money and skywest would have NO desire to keep it going. The same goes for the Delta at-risk jet flying, those planes would probably be replaces with larger ones and the at-risk opertaion would also end.