I searched for this, but wasn't able to find a clear answer (may not have used the right search terms -- so apologies if this has already been asked & answered elsewhere):
If one has different fleets based at different airports, does one still incur the 15% fleet commonality penalty? For instance, if I have only MD90s at Base 1 and only A320s at Base 2, does one still end up paying the extra 15%, even though spares, maintenance, training, etc., are effectively segregated by airport?
If one does have to pay the 15%, then what's the rationale behind this? (I seem to recall that, at least at one point, MIA was a 738-only base for American, while ORD was an MD80-only base -- presumably there must have been some benefits to doing that).
thanks,
jacobsroom
CEO, SkyJet International