Speculation: What's happening with the planes scheduled to fly to China?
Feb 1, 2020, 10:22 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: P.E.C., ON
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Speculation: What's happening with the planes scheduled to fly to China?
When I booked AC739 08FEB and AC756 17FEB a few months ago, both flights were operated by a 787. Not long after booking, AC739 was switched to a Lion and AC756 was switched to a 767.
Any speculation/thoughts/ideas on what AC is planning on doing with the planes that were scheduled to fly to PEK and PVG? I can't believe that they will just be parked.
Any speculation/thoughts/ideas on what AC is planning on doing with the planes that were scheduled to fly to PEK and PVG? I can't believe that they will just be parked.
Feb 1, 2020, 10:27 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Halifax
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite. NEXUS
Posts: 4,570
I'm not sure even 2 months would be enough time for a comprehensive flight schedule change.
Nor would the AC maintenance bays (or contracted bays) have capacity to reschedule or accelerated any overhauling in that kind of time frame.
Thus mostly idle unless but able to handle one-off needs of the occasional unserviceable bird.
Nor would the AC maintenance bays (or contracted bays) have capacity to reschedule or accelerated any overhauling in that kind of time frame.
Thus mostly idle unless but able to handle one-off needs of the occasional unserviceable bird.
Feb 1, 2020, 10:50 am
#3
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 767
Appears a regular lion route is now being flown by other 330s? At least looking at yyz-yyc this AM. I wonder if this allows them some spare capacity and start the refit of at least one? Maybe get ahead of some additional checks and maintenance on the rest of the fleet that had been stretched pretty thin with sub-ins?
Feb 1, 2020, 11:46 am
#6
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Feb 1, 2020, 11:51 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: YYC, Canada
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Posts: 1,898
Feb 1, 2020, 11:54 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: YYC, Canada
Programs: AC 35k
Posts: 1,898
They may also switch YYC-LHR back to 788/789 from 763 which was a Feb. only thing. I can't tell if that was capacity driven or due to a lack of aircraft. LHR is usually 789 in summer, with some 788 in winter.
Best case, we may see less 763 rouge flying domestic trunks. That'd be nice.
Best case, we may see less 763 rouge flying domestic trunks. That'd be nice.
Feb 1, 2020, 11:55 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: OGG, YYC
Programs: AA, AC
Posts: 3,697
Just noticed the daily YVR-OGG/HNL flight is now showing 789 service starting May 1 thru to July. No Omni, no rouge, which pleasantly surprised me. Perhaps due to the China cancellations. (Starting July 1 it's showing MAX8. Yeah, right 
)
)
Feb 1, 2020, 5:07 pm
#10
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Vancouver
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Posts: 1,605
So many options with such slack in the 789 fleet - there are 10 frames that are not being used for China flying. It seems likely that all or part of the schedule will not resume at the end of February. It would be great if AC could accelerate the A330's refurbs and reduce the Rouge and Mainline 767 flying (especially transcon).
Feb 1, 2020, 5:12 pm
#11
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So many options with such slack in the 789 fleet - there are 10 frames that are not being used for China flying. It seems likely that all or part of the schedule will not resume at the end of February. It would be great if AC could accelerate the A330's refurbs and reduce the Rouge and Mainline 767 flying (especially transcon).
Even to the extent that's possible, there are also dozens of other airlines that suddenly have a bunch of spare frames sitting around who may be interested in doing the same.
So it's not impossible, but I wouldn't expect much.
Feb 1, 2020, 5:21 pm
#12
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: YXE
Posts: 3,050
Personally I expect that they'll remain generated and ready for sorties just like any other normal not-programmed-for-maintenance aircraft in the AC fleet, and it will be a bit less stressful for AC maintenance/cleaning crews because they won't have everything crammed into as tight of a turn-around. And easier IRROPs recovery during the annual mid-late winter IRROPs debacle.
Doubt they'll get re-assigned to much of anything else. Its not like AC won't want to resume service very quickly once the Chinese situation stabilizes.
Doubt they'll get re-assigned to much of anything else. Its not like AC won't want to resume service very quickly once the Chinese situation stabilizes.
Feb 1, 2020, 6:08 pm
#14
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They've already substituted widebodies in for narrowbodies on a lot of routes ever since the MAX first went offline. Limited scope to do more of that without really hurting frequencies.
Feb 2, 2020, 10:36 am
#15
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Vancouver
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Posts: 2,026
Perhaps I am biased in that I am booked on the Rouge pumpkin in the last week of February.
In the event that improving my customer experience is not sufficient motivation for the route planning people, it would free up a Rouge 763 that could be used to backup the over committed 763 fleet to better handle Rouge IROP.