Replacing 757's

[babuca]

Hi all

Im currently running a fleet of 757's at KDFW in BW1. Long haul traffic is very scarce so most of my flying pencils are doing domestic routes. Im coming to the point where a coupe of them have D checks coming up and I would want to start phasing out 757's. Due to their turn around its been quite difficult to have a higher utilization than 10-11 hours a day without going too late in the night.

Slots are very expensive in KDFW, so what would be the best way to transition away from the 757? Right now im investing in 737's for the shorter routes, but I dont see how my medium range 757 routes can be easily replaced with the current demand. Keeping the slots and stuff in mind.

[groundbum2]

"I don't see how my medium range 757 routes can be easily replaced"

what makes you say this? Are you worried that 737 or A320 or regional jet replacements have fewer seats? One of the benefits of KDFW is it is slap in the middle of the country, so there is no need to longer leg beasties such as 757s. If you were based on a coastal corner, for example KSEA, then you would need longer range to reach Florida for example.

So what's the issue with 737s and the like? Slot costs are expensive, but are only a one-off. So dropping to a smaller capacity aircraft, and adding a 2nd daily flight with associated slot costs isn't such a bad trade-off. Bare in mind when you move from BW to a competitive gameworld there will be many more players at each airport, and that's when frequency wins. So it's good to get into this style of play now, rather than rely on a single large flight a day. As those will get decimated by other players. Hopefully.   

[babuca]

I guess in my mind I thought that higher frequencies = more airplanes = more costs. But since the maintenance and fuel burn is much lower I suppose that would be the compensation? And more flights would also equal better market share.

Another question is I am confused why KDFW has such little demand for long haul in this world? Right now I cannot see enough demand to justify adding a new fleet group to the mix, especially a long haul fleet.

[knobbygb]

Yeah I'd agree - experiment now with a different strategy while you're in the Beginner's World.

I see it's either 2016 or 2019 depending which one you're playing. The bigger Boeings or Airbuses will be perfect replacements for the 757 - there is a reason that happened in real life! 

Particularly the A321 would be good but I can't see how many are available or what the prices are like. The fuel burn will reduce from around 4000kg/hr to 2700kg/hr - a 32% fuel saving! And I haven't even looked at maintenance costs which are something you really have to watch in the competitive worlds (Edit: a C check on a nearly new 737 or A321 is less than half the cost of that on a 15 y/o 757).  The A321 is slightly slower (only a bit) but the long turnaround required for the 757 will make moving the schedules without losing slots VERY easy. Tip: make sure you adjust the turnaround time at the outstation to be sure you use the same slot times for the inbound flight too, wherever possible.   In fact, you will end up with a lot of 30 to 50 minute gaps which you can then "fix" when you have time - another good practice for the real worlds where every minute means $$$. 

This will give you the flexibility to also play with some smaller a/c (A320, A319) which will also be good practice.

The same applies to the 737-900 which is slightly smaller than the A321 but burns less fuel still. I guess it depends what's available and at what price. With the new commonality rules, sticking with Boeing will save you some money in that respect during transition.

Also don't be afraid of looking at the MD-90 family. The larger models in particular (never actually produced in real life) are very good. The figures aren't quite as good as A or B but they are often available very cheaply.

Just don't be afraid of experimenting.  It's only a game after all and you're not even in the REAL game yet.