I forgot some parts of the movie and watched it with my son when he was 11. My wife was not happy lol

 

I think this is very well said. I will say I’m not a fan of our leadership in any way BUT I get a feeling our top leaders understand this. But we cannot compete 1v1 with their product simply due to our expense to operate. . But we can differentiate to retain and continue to pull a certain customer.

 

With the new increased standard pax and baggage weights can the A321 even make it across the pond with a full load? Especially the return flight against winter headwinds?

 

The XLR, yes.

 

With only 138 seats, probably not a huge issue most of the time. Brochure range for the LR is 4,000nm with 206 pax. Guess we will see though.

 

I completely agree that it’s not a competition DAL can just ignore because we have wide bodies. However, there are reasons why this isn’t the kind of game changer, rethink your whole transatlantic scheme.
LHR slots are expensive and limited, as are any of the “close in” major European destinations. The only reason LHR allowed this to happen is to keep competition fresh and prices down, it’s not a new thing. New airlines come into major hubs all the time to accomplish this. Importantly though they will not get the slots to flood the market with these jets. If you make $10 per pax in taxes, which aircraft are you going to approve 135 or 335? The legacies have gotten used to this. That is why corporate contracts are so important.

If you have 150 of the Fortune 500 companies locked in to TA travel you don’t really have to go chasing every business class ticket, they aren’t going to jump to a competitor quickly. Then it comes down to convenience, schedule integrity, and services. That’s where wide bodies come into play.

Mint may be nice, but a NB just isn’t as comfortable, and cargo capacity gives much more financial flexibility to the route.

JB is a different animal in that they do hold some sway in the corporate contract world. Which is why I think we can’t disregard their threat. The result of this competition will be cabin updates, better WiFi and hopefully more flight options spread throughout the day from more places.

 

I've flown JB mint on a trans con and I have to say it was excellent. Honestly rivaled Delta One on the 330. Mint was a little cleaner and had better food and drinks also. Plus happ(ier) FAs. I'm sure their trans Atlantic service is top notch, but at the end of the day it's all about the numbers. We'll see if they can do it profitably and hurt us once business travel and international travel really opens back up.

 

jetBlue FA’s had to apply to do the TA trips, and I believe that once selected, that is all they will do for a 2 year deal.

 

4000 miles quickly turns into 2800 miles with 150 knot headwinds, poor track altitude assignments and a alternate required on arrival. The 757 with the same 4000 mile range struggled in the winter. It was amusing to listen to the UAL EWR crews trying to beat each other into Gander for gas on 123.45.

 

Everyone said JetBlue would run us and American out of the transcon market. Instead our transcon service boomed.