FastDEW

Does anyone else feel that Boeing stopped production of the 757 prematurely? I have always thought that Boeing should have kept the 757 alive. I know Boeing thought they were going to push the airlines into the 787-3, but we all see how that worked out.

US Airways pushes for A321neo to have flight range for Europe and Hawaii

Kind of makes one wonder if Boeing could bring the 757 back..... But of course that is just wishful thinking. Too bad because the 737-900ER is not good enough to cover the longer 757 missions. The 321neo "perhaps" could get there, but I have my doubts. As a Bus driver myself, the 321 is underwinged (is that a word?) for a true 757 replacement.

Thoughts?

(Opps - Noticed the title, I meant to say QUIT, not quite)

AZFlyer

To make an A321 with better range one/both of two things would need to happen so far as I can tell: more fuel capacity or more efficient engines, with the A3xxNeo pursuing the latter, obviously. I'm just skeptical that a modern advanced engine would be able to make any significant gains in range to easily fly PHX-Hawaii or East USA to Western Europe. But I'm no engineer, so what do I know?

Curiously, and referencing Wikipedia, so take it for what its worth, but it claims a max range of 3000nm for the A321, and airnav.com claims a flying distance for PHX to HNL of about 2500nm. If these figures are correct, then is the issue related to ETOPS requirements that prohibits A321s from making this trip? I suppose eastbound fuel requirements would also be taxing.

As for the 757, I wish there were more flying. It is probably my #1 favorite airliner. Sleek, powerful, capable; and given it still being immensely sought after by airlines around the world, it seems that I'm not the only person who feels this way.

detpilot

I agree, it's a great airplane, and I wish they were still in production... however...

Boeing did try VERY hard to find new buyers for the 757 before shutting the linen down. At that time, there just wasn't the interest in the plane that there is now (And no one had really considered flying them transatlantic).

It wouldn't have made business sense to keep the line open and building unsold airplanes. If only we had a crystal ball...

FastDEW

Two thoughts -

Boeing did pretty much keep the 767 line open without sales because they were planning on selling to the military. As it turned out many are picking up the 767 as a stop gap due to years of delays on the 787. But yes, you are right, the crystal ball wasn't there for the 757.

The 321 would drop into the ocean heading East to HI - At least it would not be able to have the reserves in needs that is for sure. The 321 is a pig in the climb because the wing loading is very high and the engines are marginal for the gross weight. I have never flown the 757, but I can tell you that the 321 is a big stretch for the 320 series wing and engines if one were to want transpacific or HI routes out of it. The 321 wing simply cannot carry anymore fuel because the weight will be too high for the available lift, even if the power were to become available.

Wonder what Boeing did with 757 tooling? It is very common with the 767 and also the top of the tube is 737, so it would be interesting to know if they could "resurrect it". I am sure they want to push the 900ER which has many of the same problems (if not more) of the 321.

787-3 back in the mix? Perhaps, but not until 2020 the way the 787 program is going......

HAL39

If you look on the Boeing website, the 787-3 no longer exists. I have a hunch that the "797" (737 replacement) will fill the gap between the current 737NG's / A320neo's and the 787-8 and -9. Boeing has made it pretty clear that they want to make the 797 a twin-aisle, transcon aircraft in the 130 - 200 seat market. Keep in mind, Sun Country is flying 737's on the MSP-LHR market nonstop, so the 797 will likely have at least the same range as the NG's. The 757-300 is typically arranged for 200 seats in a 3-class config. I think the 797 will be the "next gen" 757, but with 2 aisles, so you don't have to wait 30 minutes to deplane if you're stuck in row 44

HAL39

Forgot to mention, look for news from Boeing in June. They said they would announce details about the 797 by (or at) the Paris Airshow (mid-June)

jumppilot03

Just a clarification on an earlier post. Suncountry is flying LHR from MSP with a tec stop.

HAL39

Cool, thx for the info. I just saw it on Sun Country's website. I know the -600, -700, and -800 have a 3,000 - 3,500nm range, and the -700ER has a 5,500+nm range with all optional tanks installed, so I would assume the 797 will have the same (or better) range capability as the 737NG's