Originally Posted by
FWAAA
Cargo doesn't care about the age of the plane (or average fleet age);
Cargo doesn't care about the amenities of the new planes like higher pressurization (lower effective cabin altitude) or higher cabin humidity;
Cargo doesn't require ultra-longhaul nonstop flights;
etc.
Cargo shippers don't mind if the plane stops for fuel and pilot change - and many FedEx and UPS flights do just that at ANC each day. Fuel efficiency that 787s and A350 can deliver on ultra-longhaul flights isn't an issue on 6-8 hour flights. With a few exceptions, cargo doesn't fly 16-18 hour flights and no cargo shipper would pay a premium for a nonstop the way some business travelers do.
On a very long passenger flight, the plane burns a lot of fuel carrying the fuel necessary for the long flight. That requires a very efficient plane. Not so much on those 6-8 hour cargo flights. So a slightly less efficient cargo plane does not impose the same penalty as it would if flown by a passenger airline.
Agree with all of your points. I would like to add another one in total cost. With new aircraft, there is a huge up front cost, but then lower cost for fuel over time. With old aircraft, there is little cost up front, but then higher cost for fuel over time. An airline like UA has its planes flying for up to 20-30 years. That gap in fuel/maintenance cost ends up making an older plane more costly for UA over its lifetime. An airline like UPS doesn't fly a converted freighter for that many years. UPS doesn't own a single converted freighter it received before 2000. The only plane it owns from pre-2000 are 757 freighters it purchased directly from Boeing. Also, cargo planes don't tend to operate as many flights as commercial aircraft. This means fuel is less of a factor, as fuel is a per-flight cost.