pigx5

Why don't they resume TPE service since they have extra 777?

TakeTheATrain

I was thinking exactly the same thing...

TA

I think starting up a station takes a lot more than just the plane being somewhat temporarily available...

GoAmtrak

More like resuming; there was NRT-TPE until recently.

TA

That was like 9 months ago.

EWR764

You are undermining your credibility with nonsense like this. When did anyone at United say it was stupid (your words) to use international birds hub-hub? You are ignoring the facts that, post-merger, UA accelerated IPTE conversions, started a continuous 763ER major mod line, began widebody wifi installs, pulled down the 767-200ER fleet and had the 787s grounded for an extended period of time. Those factors materially limited (some still do) the amount of available widebody block hours, and that time needs to be prioritized to cover long haul international flying.

Running a widebody on short hauls segments increases cycles (age, wear and tear) on the airframes and shortens expensive maintenance intervals. Sometimes it's worth it, other times it may not be. Heavy maintenance for widebodies takes longer than smaller airplanes, so a 777 undergoing a Heavy-C check will be OOS longer than a 737, which means that airplane is not available to operate lucrative, high-revenue long hauls to justify the capital expenditure.

Widebody trip (fixed) costs are higher than narrowbodies and on short hauls, the 737-800/900 and A320 have a CASM advantage relative to the 763ER and 777, especially as presently configured. Therefore, as an example, running two 737-900ERs instead of a single 777 provides more capacity at lower cost. The 777s are optimized for longhaul internationalflying where F/C cabins drive substantial revenue premiums over economy. This is not so in the domestic market, at least not to a comparable degree. Further, cargo is a profitable segment of the international business, so airplanes like 777s have lots of cargo capacity that often goes empty on domestic flights.

As I said, sometimes domestic widebody flying is worth it, for a panoply of reasons, other times it may not be.