pitz

So Thomas Cook collapsed. Fleet apparently was 27 A321, 7 A330. In high density configurations that would plug into AC's network very well almost overnight. A321's appear to be CFM56. The A330's are RR Trent. Perfect match for the hardware that already exists at AC.

Anyone think that it'd be awfully tempting for AC to pick them all up right now if they can come to a decent arrangement with the lessors?

Smiley90

Only if their angle-flats replace the crappy standard recliner Rouge/Mainline Transcons.

Rubus Spectabilis

I could see it... Transat used some of their 321s last winter, and they're basically identical to the couple all-economy 321s that Rouge already has. Would there really be a use for all seven of the 330s though? Especially with the couple they just bought.

EdmFlyBoi

I went to start a thread and saw that one was already started. The A321’s are relatively young and would be a good replacement for the A319’s at Rouge if AC decided to upgauge. They’d also slide into the mainline fleet well as A320 replacements. Transat has leased some of these frames at various points as well. AC has acquired quite a few A321’s the last few years - hard to imagine that trend won’t continue (despite the 50 Maxes coming when the grounding is lifted).

RangerNS

The picked MAXs may take 6 months to unpickle, assuming they ever are.

AC will have fleet constraints for a year no matter what... Unless they inject some new metal into the system, anyway.

Adam Smith

The 321s could make sense. The 330s probably less so, since they're -200s and not the -300s that AC has and seems to like.

Unless we're talking about very short-term leases to cover MAX-related gaps, the cabin configuration doesn't matter much since AC will install its own interiors anyway.

As for a package deal, I wouldn't count on it. I took a quick look at Planespotters and it suggests there are about 10 different lessors. Each one of them needs to decide what's best for its planes and they may have different motivations. Some may have key customers already asking for 321s. Others may have tax reasons to want to keep the planes in certain jurisdictions (or out of others). And so on. Finding a deal that works for all of them is therefore unlikely. But AC could definitely scoop up all the planes from one lessor, for example, the 6 that are owned by Air Lease Corp.

YXUFlyboy

I tend to agree with this. I could see AC scooping up a bunch of 321s for Rouge. There's no cap on that fleet anymore. Those would be handy to have while the MAX remains grounded and I am sure they can find new routes for them after.

MSPeconomist

If AC would be buying or leasing larger aircraft than the A319s/A320s, there's the issue of capacity discipline. Sometimes larger aircraft mean less frequent service on the route.

Fiordland

I think Transat is the odd player in all of these. Some of these aircraft go to Thomas Cook for part of the year and Transat for part of the year. You would think one of the airline has the main lease and then subleases to the other. Who knows how these deal are structured.

Some of these may go back to Transat and then after/if the merger happens AC rationalists the fleet between the three banners.

tracon

Some of the Thomas Cook fleet was coming over for the winter.

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/thomas-c...dies-1.1320461

The Montreal-based Transat was slated to receive at least seven jetliners from Thomas Cook this fall, but "the partnership is dead because the company no longer exists," spokesman Christophe Hennebelle said.

He said Transat, which is working to complete its takeover by Air Canada next year, is "confident" the Airbus A321 planes will still come through, but is making contingency plans.




Anything leased should be easy to place with a new operator.

RangerNS

More than once I've had sublettors take over the lease, especially so when the sublettors were more reliable than the real tenant. Granting my experience with apartments isn't the global dry-lease market, I don't think that is is liquid enough that [the actual aircraft owners] think they could pick up 3 months before TS was supposed to get them.

TS might have to pay to move and park them, though.

The owners might be very happy to have TS keep the tires inflated and the systems lubed up until they are needed.

Fiordland

You would hope AC and Transat could talk to each other. Not certain how much of that can happen before the formal transition. If so Transat may be in a position to take over the lease year round. In the future they can figure out to split that up between AC and Transat routes.

RangerNS

Having just been a tiny cog in a... very large... acquisition recently I know that the securities people would be very unhappy if AC and TS "talked" to each other. Until the deal is done, they have to operate as if they are (since they are) competitors.

AC offering lease guarantees, if that is what you are getting at, would be verboten.

Which isn't to say that Bobs International Airbus Lease Co can't pay attention to the writing on the wall and take on more risk then they would otherwise.

Fiordland

I was thinking more of Transat keeping the lease for half the year with AC picking up the other half.

cedric

AC doesn't really need the extra summer capacity, though.
They were constrained this summer because of the MAX issues but that should iron itself out by next summer.