Originally Posted by
But seriously
A huge part of Kirby’s plan has been gauge. Plans change, of course, but suddenly reversing his entire strategic plan seems unlikely. You may be able to get efficient lift with 220’s but where are you going to put them? EWR, SFO, ORD and LAX are all full AND (mostly) out of space to grow. DEN and IAH are full, but have some room, and IAD is… I don’t know (I’ve never understood IAD).
It takes basically twice as many gates, pilots, landing slots, etc. to move the same number of people on 2 A220’s as 1 MAX 10. It’s not just a cost game in dollars. Part of the problem is that those extra resources just aren’t available. At least not in the near to medium term.
IAD is one of the only hubs that would be benefit from smaller gauge aircraft honestly. IAD international O/D is strong however its domestic O/D numbers get pulled down because of AA hub at DCA. That’s because of the combination of the perimeter rule and majority of NOVA/DC population being closer to DCA.
It’s a great reliever hub to EWR and offers better/more reliable connections for east coast markets.