Originally Posted by
UA767400
Haha
those were the good days! I am not sure that's why they are getting rid of the 762. It could be more capacity related. Either way five are going away this years- probably depending if UA Takes delivery of the 5 787s that are expected.
CO's 762s have similar capacity to a 752: 170 passengers. However, being a widebody plane, it weighs nearly 140,000 lbs more than a 757, so you can see how the CASM (operating cost) of a 762 is ridiculously high. It was a plane designed for $15/barrel oil, not $140/barrel.
The 787s are not direct replacements for the 762s though; the 787s are much larger. The 762s will be replaced with the reconfigured 763s which are marginally larger but cost the same to operate as a 762, making them much more cost-effecient.