You bring up great points that are to me big issues with this TA. I can’t find it, but ALPA had an illustration showing how each time we lowered the floor the company found a way to fly just the floor and no more. 80% of 2019 is not enough.

Topped off a 321N to do FLL-SEA a few days ago. Took 2 hours of moving people around the jet to get into CG limits. Of course they all ran back to FC and C+ as soon as the seatbelt sign turned off. We wrangled them back to their seats 20 minutes before TOD.

Hawaii service has been stopping in SFO for gas.

Had high hopes for these NEOs but so far it has not been a plug-n-play replacement for a 757.

I don’t necessarily disagree, but how close are we talking? More or less than 4 years?

And you can fly transcons in the A220. Doesn’t mean airlines are going to do it though vs profits they make using heavy metal to do it. Same applies to routes that long. At least in the states where airlines have to actually make money, no one is flying a NB DEN-LHR. Just because an airplane can do it doesn’t always mean it makes sense to do so.

I think the theater floors are meant to make sure no one particular theater loses substantial bid packet layovers. Because of the exchange of all the other agreements for one global agreement, the company gains flexibility on how they deploy DL WB metal. We gain 1:1 growth (amongst other things).

If all the theaters dropped to the floors simultaneously, it doesn’t mean management weaseled out of the agreement. It means a 9/11 or Covid: the foreign airlines would have had to drop substantially too.

I think the practical working of the theater floors *could* more play out with one theater much higher DL metal than our partners. This puts a limit of how much flexibility we give them with layovers.

EX: Atlantic DL metal 120%, Pacific DL 80%, SA DL 110%

India:
“Pacific Theater” means (a) Pacific Flying, as defined by Section 1 B. 45. and 2 A. 201., (b) flying on all routes between the United States and Hawaii, and (c) flying on all routes between (i) a point in the United States, and (ii) a point that is west of longitude 145° W (excluding any points in North America) and east of longitude 90° E.

“Atlantic Theater” means flying on all routes between (a) a point in the United States, and (b) a point that is east of longitude 30° W and west of longitude 90° E.

90E cuts through Bangladesh. India looks to be wholly Atlantic.

I still think the business case for NB at distance is pretty thin. It only really makes sense if you’re someone like JB, trying to get your toe in the market. The moment that JB has the steady demand and suitable airport slot, they’ll open they’re first WB route. We have enough network and market to feed those ocean crossings via WB. Neither we, nor our JVs are going to fly NB aircraft and use up a valuable airport slot anytime we can fly even the smallest WB (300ER or 787 if you’re a JV).

I don’t disagree, but how many 757s have we flown transatlantic or to South America? You have to admit that the threat of NB taking a WB spot is greater than a supersonic jet taking a spot, and we saw a need to negotiate for those.

You need to read the agreement again. The Company can throw a narrow body on RDU-CDG, but it won't count towards the hours that they have to put on a wide body. Plus there is additional protections in Section 3 should they decide to send narrowbodies over the ocean on a regular basis.

Right...but I think most people would agree that India is in Asia, which is by definition, Pacific flying. 60*E makes more geographical sense to me, but then, nobody asked me.

In either case it gets counted as part of the total block hours, but it matters which theater it gets counted for, because that means less other flights required in that theater to meet the block floor.