AA parking more 80s?

[Hercdriver]

There is a nasty rumor floating around about AA parking anywhere from 30 to 50 super 80s. Has anyone else heard this rumor? It's hard to believe that nearly six and a half years after 9/11, AA continues to downsize.

 

[ual777fan]

There is a nasty rumor floating around about AA parking anywhere from 30 to 50 super 80s. Has anyone else heard this rumor? It's hard to believe that nearly six and a half years after 9/11, AA continues to downsize.

That would be 1/6 of the total fleet (assuming 50 Super80's out of a fleet of about 300). No one has reduced capacity by anywhere that much. I wouldn't be surprised to see 1/5 of the Eagle fleet parked because of their high per unit costs and marginal routes they already fly, but such a large drawdown of mainline would most definitely surprise me.

EDITED: To fix number mistake. I really should break open the 10K every once in a while... I thought it was about 220Super 80's, 140 757's, 80 738's, 20 A300's, 50 763ER's and 60 772ER's. Hey, I was only off by 100... :blink:

 

[Coffee_Tea_Or_Me]

That would be 1/5 of the total fleet (assuming 50 Super80's out of a fleet of about 220). No one has reduced capacity by anywhere that much. I wouldn't be surprised to see 1/5 of the Eagle fleet parked because of their high per unit costs and marginal routes they already fly, but such a large drawdown of mainline would most definitely surprise me.

Not sure about that. I think US East had 400 planes on 9-11 and emerged from BK2 with 270 or so....Somebody correct me if I am wrong.

 

[FWAAA]

That would be 1/5 of the total fleet (assuming 50 Super80's out of a fleet of about 220). No one has reduced capacity by anywhere that much. I wouldn't be surprised to see 1/5 of the Eagle fleet parked because of their high per unit costs and marginal routes they already fly, but such a large drawdown of mainline would most definitely surprise me.

AA's active MD-80 fleet numbers 300, not 220. 30 to 50 of them? Bank on it unless fuel comes down quickly.

To the OP: Why is it hard to imagine AA downsizing? In those 6.5 years, B6 and WN have taken delivery of over 200 mainline airplanes seating 137 to 150. Plus FL and F9 and now VX. Not hard for me to imagine at all. Oil is now more than 4 times as expensive as it was on September 11, 2001. And AA has parked over 200 mainline airplanes since that date. What's another 30 to 50?

In the last couple of years, AA has permanently parked 60 MD-80s and has parked, returned to lessors or sold (by my count) about 245 mainline planes since September 11, 2001. 904 active mainline planes in summer, 2001 and only 659 now. That's only 10 more mainline airplanes than before the TWA asset purchase.

 

[Boomer]

There is a nasty rumor floating around about AA parking anywhere from 30 to 50 super 80s. Has anyone else heard this rumor? It's hard to believe that nearly six and a half years after 9/11, AA continues to downsize.

Given delivery of another 23 737-800's during 2009, it wouldn't surprise me that AA would both reduce total ASMs' while allowing for available Pilot shortages due to increased training requirements for the transition, emerging somewhere in late '09 with more fuel efficient birds and trained crews to fly them.

 

[ual777fan]

Given delivery of another 23 737-800's during 2009, it wouldn't surprise me that AA would both reduce total ASMs' while allowing for available Pilot shortages due to increased training requirements for the transition, emerging somewhere in late '09 with more fuel efficient birds and trained crews to fly them.

Although a 1:2 plane replacement (again assuming 50 Super 80's) would significantly reduce a lot of frequencies and would really reduce capacity. I would love to see where they are reducing (please not Austin).

 

[TWU informer]

Heavy C-6/7 Maintenance Checks are not only extremely costly and cumbersome to accomplish but the MD-80 Aircraft with age is showing signs of fatique and newly found wing/T-Cap repairs are extensive. Basically you never know what you might you find and have to fix once you start one of these heavy checks. I have heard the number 42 Aircraft over the next 12 months and wasn't surprises at all to hear that number.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

There is a nasty rumor floating around about AA parking anywhere from 30 to 50 super 80s. Has anyone else heard this rumor? It's hard to believe that nearly six and a half years after 9/11, AA continues to downsize.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

NOT hard to believe at all, IMHO !

More than ANY other carrier out there, with perhaps NW being another(think NW/Compass), AA is NOT addicted to DOMESTIC flying like a "FEW" other carriers I know.


Transcons/long haul point to point/hub to hub/INTERNATIONAL....predicted long ago....by the MAIN MAN himself...............RLC

 

[eolesen]

Don't forget the planned return of A300's to lessors starting in September 2008 and continuing thru 2011...

ATA's demise just put a bunch of 737-800s on the market...

 

[ual777fan]

Don't forget the planned return of A300's to lessors starting in September 2008 and continuing thru 2011...

ATA's demise just put a bunch of 737-800s on the market...

...and some 757-200's which we were talking about on the other thread. It will be interesting to see what AA replaces the A300's with because they are going to have to get the lift from somewhere. American currently doesn't have the widebody lift to cover the A300's, without a significant drawdown of the 763ER's from Latin America and Europe or running the Flagship 3 Class 777's down to San Juan (which doesn't sound like such a great idea). We know the 767 can't haul cargo like the A300 can either... My money is on the 787-3 provided Boeing can get it out on time.