Originally Posted by
26volt
Interesting. Then from were did they get this info.
I was chatting last night with one of the loaders who works the A359 in ONT. I told him of CI possibly being cut from ONT, and he thanked me for the heads up, though was bummed since he and the other workers were hired exclusively to work that flight. If CI pulls out it virtually means they're out of work. Felt bad for him. He told me, nothing has been said to them, so he'll continue to work until they're told something.
However, he did reveal they're having problems with the A359. He mentioned ever since the A359 entered service at ONT, they've been having weight and balance issues, and in addition, are losing money due to not sending freight cargo back to TPE. So, to that, CI notified them they're bringing back 77W to ONT. He didn't give me a set date when the 77W would be back at ONT. Though, with this monkey wrench thrown at the moment, who knows what's going to happen either ONT gets cut or they bring back the 77W.
It's been rumored that the design that CI uses for both the 77W and 359 are overweight which causes either 1) less range or 2) restrictive loading.
Also, the 359 cargo deck design is not very friendly to load, so it may cause balance issues when going out on a full flight.
I highly doubt ONT will be cut, it's a political route after all. As I previously mentioned, I see it coming back to a 77W and will stay daily (especially since 77W is not at full capacity).
Yes, CI has been routing cargo via ONT and then clear customs at LAX. It's not exactly a smart thing to do so but if you need the capacity it's there.
I think what's going to happen is:
1. ONT goes back to daily 77W NS19.
2. BNE-AKL goes back to 359 NS19.
3. MEL goes back to 359 NS19.
4. SYD reduced to daily (as usual).
5. LGW reduced to 4 weekly.
6. LAX may get CI 6/5 back on a 4-5 weekly 77W basis if correct slot permits.