Seating

[tavyturean]

Hello guys. Thank you very much for the answers on all of my other questions. As a newbie, I still have some things I haven't quite grasped.
On that note, I have two questions about seating configuration.
1. When I create my airline should I start offering business class right away or should I start with all economy?
2. When buying/leasing an used aircraft with a seat configuration of my choice is that cost added to the plane price or is it free? What about for a new one?
Thanks

[yearofthecactus]

1) Business class needs quite good (>70) Company Image. So till then, I wouldn't go out of my way to put business seats on a leased plane, but if the used plane I am leasing already has those seats, then I wouldn't bother removing it at extra cost.

2) Yes. Any different seat config from the plane's current/default costs extra and is added to the leasing/buying price every time.

[APTamas]

I think, when you buy/lease a new airplane, the seating costs are included in the price so you won't have to pay for personalized seating.

[wilian.souza2]

I think, when you buy/lease a new airplane, the seating costs are included in the price so you won't have to pay for personalized seating.

Nope. If you request a different configuration for the airplane you're buying, you'll pay for configuration, too - the prices are even displayed in the seat config box.

[gazzz0x2z]

Nope. If you request a different configuration for the airplane you're buying, you'll pay for configuration, too - the prices are even displayed in the seat config box.

Said otherwise : when beginning, each $ counts, and you can't really afford re-seating. You keep what you are given. Later, though, seatings changes can be very profitable.

[EsquireFlyer]

I think, when you buy/lease a new airplane, the seating costs are included in the price so you won't have to pay for personalized seating.

This is mostly correct. The price the factory quotes to you includes the price of the seats you specified, although it may be a little higher (or even lower) than the pre-customization list price.

Nope. If you request a different configuration for the airplane you're buying, you'll pay for configuration, too - the prices are even displayed in the seat config box.

This is not really correct. The prices are definitely not displayed in the seat config box when ordering a new plane. The details, are a little more complicated...

When ordering a NEW plane from the factory, yes you pay for the seats, based on the configuration you specify. But if you use the factory default seating, you still pay for the seats in the factory default setup. The "list price" of the plane includes the seats in the default setup, but if you change the seats, you first get a refund for the default seats, and then you get charged the price of your custom seats (so you just pay the difference).

So for example, I just did a test using a DC-10-30ER order. Setting a custom configuration (with high F and C seats) at initial order adds only about $100k to the cost. However, reconfiguring a DC-10-30ER plane from the Used Market (or already owned plane) to this same custom configuration costs $1.1 million.

And if I make a configuration that uses only Y seats (fewer seats than the default configuration, and no F or C), the price the factory quotes me is actually $739K lower than the list price for this aircraft type, because the list price includes the price of the default config and my custom config was cheaper.