bafanguy said:
I'm gigless...but if RVSM is going to make 727 ops prohibitive shortly and the business is so seasonal , why would a company be starting up right now with that airplane ?
T got most of the rest of your questions, but to answer your cost questions, the only options out there for aircraft are the 727, 737, or 757, as there aren't really any Airbus or 777 frames sitting idle in the desert.
The 737 is a great airplane, efficient over medium-range distances, good short runway performance, but they start getting high and hot problems during the summer times, and might not be a good southern hemisphere option, plus the frame costs of leasing the aircraft might not be as cost effective as the 727 in terms of passenger count as well.
The 757 is an efficient airplane to operate, but the people who own the leases aren't being very competitive about their pricing, simply because they don't want to put hours and cycles on them unless they'll command a good premium; so they'd rather wait for the economy to improve.
That leaves the 727. Excellent runway performance, even high, hot, and/or heavy. It's simply the best short-haul performing aircraft probably ever created on routes between an hour to two and a half hour stage lengths, lots of crews around who are trained on it, lots of spare parts (most engine rotables are interchangeable between the DC-9, 727, 737-200, etc not to mention other system rotable compatibilities with other Boeing models), simulators are cheap to rent, and the airframes are cheap as h*ll right now. Offsets: fuel, 3rd crewmember, and RVSM.
The people I've talked to tell me that once RVSM is a factor, the cost of extra fuel burn and/or RVSM equipping the aircraft will be almost identical to the cost of leasing the 757. Until then, the 727 still makes a lot more sense in most market niches that aren't filled yet.
Hope that answers the financial end of the equation. As far as BMA's unionization efforts, I'd stay away until they figure out what they're doing. I'd also be careful about using the "Scab" word - until they actually are on strike and the work is considered struck, the people going to work for the alter-ego carrier are NOT scabs. Maybe one level above them, but we need a different word for them. Didn't someone come up with one of those for the Mesa/Freedom Air deal?
