MD Flying
 

Just curious what MD flying at FDX looks like these days. How much intl vs domestic? What's the plan for replacing the MD? More 777s?

On the international side, it’s like D day... the MDs are the Germans and the 777s are the allies.


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Oct Capt bidpack had 276 regular lines with 98 Intl (not counting 9 GDL and SJU lines). 21 single departure Intl lines.

MD-10s being replaced with 767 (and a 757 chaser sometimes). MD-11 becoming more domestic with more 777s and 767s on the way. Supposed to keep the 50+ 11s flying for 10 years more or so. Rumors about A330 replacing them.

Percentage-wise (which is all that matters if you’re in the seat) it’s about the same in the MD as it was 10-12 years ago. Roughly 35% of the lines are true international (excluding Mexico/Canada/SJU). There are fewer overall lines but there are fewer overall pilots too. If you’re in the seat your options are more or less the same as they’ve always been.


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As of October 20th 2019, our VP of Flight Ops said in his message to the crew force that the MD-11s will remain in operation well into the next decade as they still have significant life remaining.

Predicting the sunset dates on the MD-10s (-30s) is difficult. But an insider maintenance friend tells me that every one of them that come due for a heavy check will be parked.

40 777Fs have been delivered. 43 777Fs are in revenue service (three are leased aircraft). We have authorization for 55 firm 777F orders from Boeing.

The remaining delivery schedule according to the 2019 Annual Report:

2020 5
2021 2
2022 3
2023 4
2024 4
Thereafter 2

Short version, the more 777Fs FedEx buys, the less international flying the MD-11 does.

If you are wondering about the 767Fs ...

FedEx has 130 firm orders for 767Fs.

76 767Fs have been delivered. We have two leased from Silk Way Airlines.

The delivery schedule according to the 2019 Annual Report is as follows:

2020 17
2021 18
2022 12
2023 6

I think we bought the Silk Way planes. The Lan Chile planes were leased and already given back. I don't think Silk Way would have wanted us to take the winglets off one of their airplanes. :)

Does the 767F have to legs to go from US to Europe? What type of would they absorb from the MD?

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/FDX5046/history/20191011/0850Z/KEWR/LFPG

Another good question about the MD flying is the ANC base. Pacific ETOPS flying will eventually be approved for 76, and the new building/ramp space will be available within a reasonable timeframe from that. Plenty of 777's to be seen on the ramp already, negating the idea they only overfly ANC.

Question is; does it become a domicile for 777/767/ or none of the above.

Should not be a domicile for ANY aircraft. You can't deadhead from there with any efficiency to recover freight. Should have closed for the MD11 many years ago. But YES, stay as a major hub/sort facility.

ANC Base
 

A large number of 777 pairings start out with a deadhead too ANC. Additionally, tons of ANC layovers in the 777. Might make sense to have some of that based in ANC.

??
 

Why would the inability to rapidly deadhead due to contingency (recover freight) infer inefficiency? ANC pairings have historically required few deadheads, which reflect an increased operational efficiency with respect to scheduling and execution. There are plenty of options from the enterprise that can meet contingency freight recovery without having to hastily deadhead from ANC.

If/when MEM continues to lose commercial pax capacity we should consider closing the domicile as well...but yes, stay as a major hub/sort facility perhaps. But first we should inform UPS in ANC that they too have it all wrong...

Several of the northern NOPAC routes don’t even require ETOPS to use them. We’re flying 767s between ICN-ANC already. Too many times to count I flew from ANC to Asia non-ETOPS on the 777, so that’s hardly a show stopper if the company wants to use the 76 out
of there. Personally I don’t see it being a widespread option. Maybe some niche cities that need supplemental lift but the 76 is hardly a replacement for the MD on most Asia cities out of ANC.

I also don’t understand the deadhead out of ANC for freight recovery being a domicile limiting issue. The company’s long time solution has always been to revise us in the field and deadhead new bodies to back fill which allows them to take multiple days to get new blood in theater. If ease of DH was a domicile killer we’d have put MEM, IND and even CGN out to pasture years ago. Shoot, sometime we can’t even build pairings with deadheads to Europe out of MEM that can be done in just one duty period.