Yes, & before BK the 744 lease payments were $1 mil a month so $250K is super, super cheap. The 744 has value that a lot think is not there just because it has 4 engines. It will make $$$ on routes that the 777 does NOT, & the 777 will make $$$ on routes that the 744 does not. Lots of things come into to play like cargo capacity, ETOPS certifications that aren't that easy(just put the 744 on it), etc.

With the way DAL is buying used aircraft, & with the reconfig they are doing to the 744 I think more 744's are very possible.

If I remember right, 250k is what we were paying pre-BK on the 757s. They eventually got those way below that. 250k for a 744 would be incredible, especially if they want to see if the markets will be there for the next 5+ years.

That's funny, but what was even more funny was your edit, "I couldn't stand the picture of Rosie O'Donnel." HA! HA! That's funny.

There is nothing but pure logic in it. The plane makes the network succeed or fail, and the network makes the plane succeed or fail.

I don't think anyone here doubts the 747 is an awesome airplane. The only question is whether it can make money. Luckily, it appears that, on the basis of the (much larger) combined network, it can. That's something to be grateful for, no matter which side of the fence you're on.

It made $$ before the merger too. ;)

It's fantastic that they've found a place for it in our new network. With the new seats they are putting in them I hope we can make some great $$ from some HVC's.

Regardless, this merger really is working out thus far, & as you pointed out Sink, that's something that we can all he greatful for. :)

Amen! Very true.

Maybe... but evidently, it didn't make that much. Or they would have been ordering more, instead of the 787. And, at a minimum, it doesn't appear they felt the network could support additional 744's.

In addition to his comments about 4-engine airframes, Anderson has been critical of UAL's Asia network, where they fielded way too many 747's, especially for the intra-theater stuff. Look at the trends WRT to our Asia network: we're sending even smaller aircraft to NRT, and allegedly are thinking about keeping even small aircraft for beyond-Tokyo flying. And, ironically, some of the places where the B-744 is said to be mostly successfull, i.e. TLV, are opportunities created by the merger.

Now that we have a significantly bigger overall network, it seems only logical that we can successfully field bigger aircraft.

At any rate, I suppose this could be turned into a debate of what could have been under a stand-alone situation. But isn't it much nicer to just look at the current results, and the 747's that are leaving the desert? That's enough for me.

[We agree: what we have is a good thing. I responded before you added to your first sentence]

The success of this aircaft or any particular aircraft on any given route is up to the company. If they do their homework, prior planning and training, position spare parts, and count the beans properly, it will make money. If they open routes as they did this last spring by just throwing it on a route and expecting it to go smoothly, they are going to have problems which they discovered big time. It went so bad that the rumor was that the 4th floor thought that the pilots had a job action going which was the furtherest thing from the truth. We did have a problem with our lower jaws getting bruised from all the jaw dropping foul ups the agents, mechanics, and catering were making---- total lack of training and preperation in putting the aircraft on a route. Hopefully they took good notes and know what to do next time.:rolleyes:

Why are any of us arguing this? Let's just hope they stick around a long time, and DAL orders more, if they determine they can make money with it. And if not, lets hope they order lots of 777s. Either way, more airplanes = more pilots = more money for each of us.

Let's stop the subtle attacks that are still a left over from the N vs S SLI debate. Time to move on.

Good point. Big metal at the top end is the best thing for the pilot group in creating forward advancement. If they were to park them the pain and suffering would be unheard of and no one wants that. Bring on the big metal don't care what the number is 748,744,777,787,767,330,350 etc.