Originally Posted by
readywhenyouare
Anderson doesn't want the 777X because it is an "experimental airplane?
How is the 777X any more experimental than an A330NEO? At least we know a 777X will be built. There has been no commitment to an A330NEO.
And how are they considering the 788 when they already have 20 on order?
Of course he also thinks the 787 and A350 are now "well down the road". What a joke. The A350 is not even in revenue service yet.
There's no consistency in RA's comments, and no consistency either with what the two makers are offering, or with what DL has done in the past. He wants a 275 seat plane with a 5500 mile range to replace the 275 seat plane with a 5500 mile range they're already flying, then goes on to list a bunch of planes with 7000-9000 mile ranges of varying sizes. The 333NEO is going to be a heavy long range plane that would need to underfly its range to fit his niche. The only planes that make sense size/range wise are the current 333 (which DL just ordered 10 of) or new 763ERs. Boeing would probable give DL a good deal on 763ERs if they asked nice, and Airbus is obviously willing to sell 333s for cheap to bridge the gap to the A350-8. Obviously not the most fuel efficient option, but neither Boeing nor Airbus is going to make a plane of the 763ER specs because the airlines that actually buy new airplanes (middle east and Asian carriers in particular) want longer ranges.
The 757 was ended somewhat because it served a niche that was not particularly viable, with the lower end being covered by the 739/A321 and the upper end covered by 767/A330 (and later the 787), and nobody was ordering them (including DL). Boeing offered the 787-3 which was essentially a twin aisle 753 and exactly nobody wanted it.
Until DL is willing to buy "experimental" planes and/or be a launch customer with a big order, they're not going to have any say in the configuration of new airplanes and they'll just have to underfly the widebodies.