Originally Posted by
seafeye
The whole 50 seaters are inefficient is crap.
Most of our flight the burn is about 2000 lbs. Or about $12/pax.
This is based on fuel being $2/gallon.
I add it up on each flight and the highest i have ever seen is $22/pax/hour.
Ok so lets say the dash is more fuel efficient by 50%.
It's only at worst case a $10 difference/pax. And that isn't even realistic, I don't fly a dash so i can't compare the two directly but give me a release for a flight from PGV-CLT or anywhere else in N.C. and lets compare numbers.
The regional jets are inefficient only comes from management who want to scare us into working for less money. The airplanes are making them beaucoup cash. Don't be fooled. They just want to make even more money and have us fly a 70-90 seat airplane for the same amount. Their profits increase 40% and our pay will stay the same. Bad deal!
I love it when pilots try to play accountant and determine operating costs, and revenue generating ability for a certain airplane. I remember flying with a captain that had this whole complicated formula to determine how economical the Dash was over the RJ. He would then emphasize his point by announcing his findings to the passengers, schooling them on this "green" form of air transport we call the dash. The point is unless you have all the numbers and overhead costs in front of you it's hard to really know what the margins are. I need not remind anyone, airline's margins are razor thin and a few $3 CASM may mean the difference between an operating profit and loss.
I seriously doubt airlines would be purging themselves of 50 seat RJs left and right in order to save a few bucks on labor costs. The amount they would lose in misplaced capacity would negate the savings. Airlines want the capacity the 70-90 RJs provide as well as the CASM. IMHO their is a future for turboprops, especially the Dash, to fill the void in 50 seat capacity. Bombardier is in development of an upgraded dash 8 300, with Q400 speeds. This could be the future of the 50 seat market, and I think all it would take is some PR to get the public comfortable with TPs again, especially the nexgen quiet TPs.