xLuther

My speculation is AC did not have a good experience with the Embraer plus they were too small for peaks AC hits seasonally on routes in Canada. The move to get FA ratio increased ( 1-50 from 1-40) it pretty good tell, they are going for 150 passenger 2 class plane for main workhorse duty domestic Canada

Airbus 320 ( Neo probably ) and Boeing 737Max, I would say +80% chance Airbus because of current fleet ( and performance of Airbus ) considering Boeings problems on 787 AC is probably not in mood to reward Boeing with an order for yet more aircraft.

My other speculation is a cancel 787 and go with Airbus equal is part of the deal. The shine has come off the 787, plus based on lead times that keep changing AC may not get any for another 2 years

Jasper2009

It´s quite possible you´re correct, though the E90 seemed like the perfect plane for high-frequency routes such as YVR-YEG/YYC as well as routes slightly outside the box such as YEG-YOW or YYZ-SEA.

(Not to mention the much sperior pax experience in Y on the E90 vs. any 320/737 aircraft)

lespoir

Given the 787 delay experience, I wonder if AC also wants to keep some bargaining chips for retaining Airbus 320 or NEO, and leaving an open door for future potential A350 orders, if better experience is met with the launching customers.

Unless AC wants 787-10, or 777X (9X) in the near term.

upgradesecret

The reason the E-175's being transferred to Sky by Air Canada was because under the new ACPA contract they could

proview

I have to say that your use of the Vancouver-Edmonton example can be used to argue that the E190 is not in fact "the perfect plane". The fact is that Air Canada uses the E190 almost exclusively on this route. The "other fellow" matches this almost wingtip to wingtip with Boeings. A 97 seater against a 136 seater produces higher units costs than the competition.

Methinks the choice of aircraft must always take into account what the other fellow is doing.

Jasper2009

I don´t completely disagree, but looking at what WS does is pretty much irrevelant as they basically only have one type of aircraft (ignoring the recently introduced regional jets), not to mention YEG is a WS hub while YEG is just a focus city for AC, and I´m already being generous with that description.

It´s a route where AC needs to offer high frequency, and I´m not sure they could easily fill all the planes if they increased capacity by >50%. Then again, there may be some potential to eliminate 1-2 flights per day without causing too much inconvenience if they introduced the 320 on that route.

The Lev

Really????

CloudsBelow

Another delay ... Nothing too dramatic but really hope this thing comes in close to spec and the end product is worth the wait ...


TORONTO (Reuters) - Bombardier Inc on Wednesday delayed the maiden flight of its all-new CSeries jetliner for a third time, promising the flight "in the coming weeks", instead of in July.

hazcaddy

Totally agree ^

I always thought I'd be a Bombardier / Canadian Manufacturer booster, but flying an Embraer YYZ to SAN for 5 hours is much more comfortable than an Airbus: legroom for a start.

Stranger

The C-Series will be 2-3, better than the 319/320/321, but not as good as the E90. Pitch may depend upon how the airline sets it up. I suspect with more seats, the E90 might not have the range that AC needs on some routes.


However the economics of the CSeries should be much superior. For starters, the CSeries likely was designed from start as a true transcon. While I would think the E90 would have a (relatively) small wing, optimized for shorter range.

Also, AC has moved from a business model whereby they were trying to keep offer somewhat less than demand, and high prices for the last seats, which did not work because WS did not play the same game. To now going for larger planes and lower unit costs.

They'll likely get a wonderful deal on the CSeries. Plus, the plane has a huge growth potential. You never want a downsized model, but a growth model, which invariably offers better economics.

CloudsBelow

The economics of AC's E90 stinks ... Though, they are a great a/c from PAX perspective as we all know

winnipegrev

I remember reading that AC's E90s were comparable to the A319s in per seat costs. I googled briefly for it now but can't find it... anyhow I figure that could have only gotten better since their 4-seat addition to each E90 last year.

Stranger

Remember, the 320 is 1985 vintage. One would hope efficiency improved significantly since.

airbus320

I have a friend who spent all of his later years as an aircraft technician maintaining the Embraer fleet.
His verdict: thumbs down on the 190 and 175. It is an expensive fleet to keep flying.

ffsim

I think anyone who's been keeping an eye on the "AC Master Incidents" thread would agree. Those birds always seem to be wounded...