Quote:
Originally Posted by texaspilot76
I think that alot of Delta's fuel expense has to do with those gas guzzling MD-80's. Maybe they should think about replacing those.
Delta has no MD-80's. Delta has MD-88's. The 88 blocks at around 6,000 pounds per hour and costs less than half, maybe as little as a third, of an RJ's lease costs and is built like a tank. The thing hardly ever breaks. I've had the 88 below 5,000 pounds an hour on longer trips. The RJ was 3,200 to 3,600 pounds per hour to carry 1/3rd the load (although I'm sure the 700's and 900's are more efficient per seat mile).
Efficiency does play a role, but there is a place for each aircraft in the system. A MD88 with 45 people on it is a whole lot less efficient than a 50 seater with 45 people on it. It is harder to fill a MD88.
At the same time, the four or five business people who fly the RJ to connect with oceanic service have a big role in making the 767 profitable at the margin. Network economics are an art.