I do really like the CRJ-550 as it fixes a lot of the issues with the CRJ-200. Newer, first class and economy plus seats, and WiFi. It burns about 8% more fuel than a CRJ-200, but fuel is cheap, and just a few % revenue premium for having first class and economy plus seats more than make up for it. I’m surprised United hasn’t replaced all the CRJ-200’s with CRJ-550’s.

I do see the CRJ-200 going away in the next few years, but I definitely do not see 50 seat RJ’s going away.

The 550 is a nice 50 seat product. The company has been pretty consistent in their opposition to a new NB fleet type, but we do have max deliveries and assorted used Airbus planes on the way to provide additional lift when demand recovers. If United would convert all of the 700’s, with the increased lift provided by aircraft deliveries we could possibly retire the 200’s and 145’s and be left with a nice product. UAX would have the 550 and the 175’s, while UAL would have to add some pilots to the list. The people currently flying the 50 seaters wouldn’t like that plan though since the number of jobs eliminated would far exceed those created.

I just rode on one for the first time, it is ten million times better than the typical fifty seat disgraceful experience that gets foisted on the traveling public.

Come on Joe ... you have been told a billion times not to exaggerate.

Jeeze.

My bad, I should have said 9.8 million. I'll try harder in the future.

Boeing is desperate for sales and need to repair their image and that of the max. I wonder if we could get some dirt cheap max 7’s and use that lift to retire the CRJ-200 and E-145. Starting in 2023, the smallest plane in Delta’s fleet will have 70 seats. Are we going to put a bunch of worn out 50 seaters up against that and expect to win? My bet is that we don’t change a thing and Kirby comes to us in a couple of years demanding more big rj’s to remain competitive when Delta is spanking us again.

Didn't UAL (via Oscar and Scott) directly and publicly state the 50-seaters are going away as a result of Covid earlier this year with the exception of the 'new' 550s?

They made a couple of blanket statements that they would most likely be a thing of the past, but have never said anything definitive, or recently. Delta has announced when their 50 seaters will be gone as well as the 717 and 767. United did reduce the 145 fleet when they shut down ExpressJet, but there are still a bunch of tired 50 seaters out there with no announced plan to change that.

I haven't been on a 550 yet but am looking forward to trying it at some point.

I don't know how old you are. I'm 55, and I remember riding on commuter flights in the late 1970s in airplanes like the Twin Otter and Beech 99. Those were replaced by the Metroliner, Beech 1900, and the Jetstream. (I flew the J32 Jetstreams in my first airline job) Then came the Saab 340, Brasilia, Dash 8 and we had a flight attendant! I even got to ride on a couple of four-engine Dash-7s, operated by Rio Airways, as a teenager! The introduction of the CRJ-200 and E145 was a huge step forward, at the time, to actually be flying a jet. But it's time for them to join the Twin Otters and Metroliners to make way for their successors.

It will be interesting to see what direction Kirby takes us regarding the UAX/UAL fleets. If he were to buy enough new NB aircraft to get the max number of 76 seaters, we’d gain about 90 aircraft, while UAX would gain 70 new 76 seat aircraft, but they’d also have to eliminate about 175 of the 50 seaters. Their block hours would also be reduced to 68% United NB block. On the other hand, if he decides to add used 737/320’s to our current fleet, UAX doesn’t get any more 70/76 seaters and the single class 50 seaters just fade away. With just the existing 70/76 seaters out there and the 550’s, UAX wouldn’t be able to get close to the number of block hours that they have in the past. I’m hoping for some cheap Max 7’s or good used 737-700’s or 319’s. The 50 seaters are nearing the end and I’d rather not allow UAX anything more than the 70/76 seaters that they currently fly.

United merely transferred those airplanes along with the old TSA birds that had previously transferred to XJT over to C5 because C5 is a LOT cheaper. And C5 is in the beginning stages of a huge ramp up to fly many, if not most of those airplanes. And Kirby's message was never that the 50 seat RJs were going away completely. He said "mostly" a thing of the past. When those statements were made, UAX carriers were flying almost 400 50 seat aircraft. What remains to be seen is what his definition of "mostly" is.

From what I understand, C5 is going to end up operating some of those planes, not all, and probably not even most. It isn’t just due to COVID that they were considering ways to dramatically shrink the 50 seaters. Several years ago in a company statement when they announced the 737-700’s that never happened, they said that the order would allow them to get down to around 100 of the 50 seaters. CommutAir may get some temporary growth, but it will most likely be short lived. My guess is that by 2025 the single class 50 seaters will be gone, and United will have 3 or 4 regionals flying the 175’s and 550’s.

and I bet that there are discussions going on right now along the lines of...

”Hey, we don’t want to buy a small narrow body. How about we give you 100-200 A319 or 7 MAX in order to get more 70/76 seater.”

Of course there is. There were similar offers before COVID and the union said no. The company wants Delta’s scope limit without doing what Delta did to get it. That was the big issue holding up contract negotiations before COVID hit. The union wants as much of the flying flown by United pilots as possible. The 50 seaters are unpopular and getting really old, so why give the company anything? Scope is maxed out, and as the 50 seaters age out, the only option to replace that lift is with United pilots.

Prior to COVID, United was doubling down on the 50 seaters, especially the 145s. They were getting new paint, cabin refreshes, and even wifi. XJT was told the only limitation to increased 145 flying at that point was their ability to hire and retain pilots. All of XJT's old 145s (and TSA's) are now on the C5 certificate. How many actually get operated is the question, but I'm betting there will be 80-100 total in operation by late summer. Maybe that only lasts for a few years, but it's a doubling or tripling in size for C5.

They were also in contract talks and pushing hard for more 175’s without buying another fleet type, but the union held their ground. Kirby wants more rj’s, the union doesn’t, and both are in the fight for the long haul, so putting some lipstick on a pig was his only remaining option. The one thing that doesn’t change is that as our competition moves to bigger planes and the 50 seat fleet ages and grows more unpopular with our customers, they are nearing the end of their service life with United. Kirby has one contractual option to get more 70/76 seaters. That option would increase the number of United aircraft while decreasing the total number of UAX aircraft and significantly reduce the allowable percentage of NB block that UAX can fly. The other option is to let the 50 seaters age out and replace all of that flying with United pilots. The ball is in Kirby’s court.

As far as C5 goes in the short term, I’d agree that they will be flying more jets than they were. Unless United decides to spread the 70/76 seaters and the 550’s around rather than concentrate them at the larger companies already operating them, I’d expect the airlines that only operate single class 50 seaters to be gone within 5 years.

Anyone here on APC accomplish the Max sim yet? Curious if the sim is taking the entire 4hrs.
I would like to avoid spending the night.
Thanks

Brief 1.0
Sim 1.5
2 paired crews so 1 crew could be done really early.

Pass your potential travel desires to your instructor ahead of time. Should be no problem.

one thing I noticed was WB captains look like death and seem like they have lost their mind a bit. NB captains even the older ones look much younger and healthier.

I don’t think that it is a matter of losing their mind, it’s that they operate at a different pace. Depending on the base, they are usually used to only working with very senior pilots and flight attendants who just do their job without needing supervision. There just isn’t that much to deal with on most days. Review one set of paperwork, have one briefing, and decide when you want to eat or sleep. The ones who look like the living dead are usually those who eat everything that is offered, drink more than they should, don’t exercise, and don’t get proper rest. I’m hoping that a large number of WB first officers who displaced into NB captain seats decide to stay when things turn around. I’d much rather go back to WB flying than have to upgrade when the pay protections end.

Great and accurate post. WB flying is like working for a different airline.

Also, you get priority on just about everything. I figured this out sitting on the ground in BDL with the guppy engines running ... waiting 49 minutes for release so they could get the international guys overhead past me.

Its a different airline. Worked for me for 19 years. Blessed.

eh I stand by what said. But I’m glad there are guys that like it, and we are at an airline that has a choice.

Just completed the MAX RTS CBTs. Having flown the A-320 and now displaced to the NG, all I can say is I can’t wait to get back to the Bus!! 🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️

it’s amazing what passes for “training” these days. What a joke. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but the retention rate of information from this low cost type video training is like 20%, and that’s in the short term. Let some time go by and it’s much less than that. But heck, the feds sign off on it so it must be safe!

I was forced to go through 737 transition in September. Since last flying a 737-300-500, I’ve been on the the 777 F/O and instructor, the bus as a captain, 76T as an F/O and instructor, 777 as an instructor, the bus as a captain again and then the yuppie guppy. It’s not like it’s a hard airplane to fly but the engineering and ergonomics are absolute bovine excrement. I kept thinking to myself you’ve got to be kidding me Boeing! This is the best you can do with this antiquated POJ? I was never so happy as when my displacement was canceled and I came back to the bus.

But UAL did pay me to get a 737 type. So that was something I guess because seven type ratings is better six?

The Southwest effect. Back when UAL ran the 737-200 and 737-300 / 500 as separate fleets despite the cost, there was no way that would have ever been a consideration at SWA. Keeping their 300/500s more simplified was the strategy. Right on up to these days with the million dollar per Max penalty on Boeing if simulator training was required. The house of cards finally collapsed.

WTH with the MAX already...
 

Boeing's infamous 737 Max plane has a new issue, and 16 airlines are being told to ground planes (msn.com)
Infamous...you mean notorious.

"Electrical issues" - UAL has approx 16 planes affected right now. Hopefully it's a quick fix...

This appears to be a production QC issue, not a design issue. Nothing new at certain production facilities, but should be an easy fix.

Keeping FOD out of the KC-46 interiors as they were being built SHOULD have been an easy fix too.

https://i.ibb.co/stPpRwy/35357305-42...210-BC84-E.jpg


I mean, clean up after yourself is something they teach in kindergarten, right?

Try three years...

The Boeing of today is an embarrassment

Its pretty amazing what they are incapable of at Boeing now days.

yet we have tied our whole future to them......

because they “sip gas”

Is this an unintended cost of their union busting tactics??? Should’ve never closed Seattle and should’ve never opened up the plant in SC!!!

Who would have thought building airliners was harder than building Saturns?