First 767-300ER with American’s New Business Class to Begin Service in April

AdAstraPerAspera said:
Wish we would put in-seat video for the Y class, so standardize with the rest of the new coach product
 
Nah.  Parker knows th Kettles only need a couple washboards and empty jugs to keep themselves entertained.
(He's expert at running an airline that the Kettles love to fly.  Look what he did at American West!)
 
emmet-otter-christmas-191.jpg
 
Well I guess that does make sense not to make that much of an expenditure if the 767 fleet isn't going to be around that much longer
 
In 2008, when AA ordered the 787-9s, they were supposed to be delivered beginning in 2012.    Obviously,  Boeing's production problems have pushed that delivery schedule back quite a bit.   My WAG is that had the 787s been ready on-time, then the 763s would be getting no upgrades at all.   Instead, up to half of them will be getting stop-gap upgrades with pretty decent lie-flat J seats and not much else, and the other half will get nothing.   Of course, AA's first 787s (787-8s, as up to 20 of them will substitute for the originally ordered 787-9s) will likely begin delivery later this year (that's the current schedule), so the first 763 retirements should begin before the end of 2014 as the 787s show up.   
 
Someone recently posted that the AA/BA joint venture requires that AA's TATL J seats be lie-flat by the end of 2015, providing the push for getting the 763s converted by then.   Dunno if that's true.   
 
Why not keep the 763s around and use them for domestic trunks? Seems like I'm always on them anyway, going from MIA-SFO, DFW-LAX, DFW-SFO, etc. only thing missing is wifi
 
AdAstraPerAspera said:
Why not keep the 763s around and use them for domestic trunks? Seems like I'm always on them anyway, going from MIA-SFO, DFW-LAX, DFW-SFO, etc. only thing missing is wifi
They're great planes;  nothing better if you're in economy.    Two aisles and only one middle seat out of seven across.    Thing is, the 767s are simply too narrow.   To get that seventh seat, you have to fly around that second aisle (which nobody is paying for).   Compare that to a 757, which is much lighter and features six economy seats with only one aisle of "wasted" space.    
 
The 787s are just wide enough for nine across in the back, so their second aisle gives you three more seats per row (over a single aisle plane).  The 787s feature a lot more of what is becoming the most important characteristic:   square footage.   As business class seats go completely flat, they take up a lot more square footage than did the old wooly mammoth business class recliners (or their blue replacements or the slanted NGBC seats).   With fuel over $3/gal (compared to $0.55/gal in late 1990s), the only potentially profitable scenario is to pack 'em in in the economy section and hope that enough people pay the sky-high fares for the big seats up front.  

The AA 763s will see a few more years until enough 787s are delivered, but unless fuel prices drop a lot, the 767's days are numbered.    United has been retiring the very young CO 762s as its 787s have been delivered, and I predict that AA will do the same with its 763s.   I'll miss them, but the bean-counters at headquarters won't.   
 
Seeking Alpha is so enthralled with one of AA's new coach revenue enhancers that they go so far as redefining the definition of "comfort":  "... [Slim Seat] strategy will benefit American Airlines as it is adding more slim-line seats without reducing legroom, which will provide the same comfort level to passengers..." 
 

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