Originally Posted by
The Lev
Advantages of the A350-1000 vs 77X:
- Longer range
- Comparable operating economics with a lower total seat count
- Might be hard filling the 77X on many routes - few of AC's routes are slot constrained
- Greater passenger comfort (seat and/or aisle width)
- 3-3-3 configuration versus 3-4-3 means 1/3 of seats are less desirable middle seats versus 40%
- I think the only area where the 77X is likely to win out is in freight hauling capacity
At the end of day it will likely come down to who offers the best deal, but at current fuel prices there is no mad rush to get rid of the 77W.
Also, one is currently in revenue service and certified, one is struggling to be certified and potentially has a mountain of teething problems ahead.
A350-1000 has Higher CASM* but lower trip cost, there's a limited amount of route they can consistently fill a 450 seat plane, a full plane doesn't always translate to the highest profit either.
*777X's CASM advantage mostly come from exaggerated seat count (to be fair, Airbus does the same so they mostly cancel each other out) especially in Economy class heavy config. A350-1000 can fit as many super diamond seat as the 777X in the same cabin length.