FWAAA

I might be wrong, but I believe that all AA 757s are overwater equipped (so they can fly more than 100nm from the shore/coastline). Flights to SJU and other Central/Northern South America destinations don't need ETOPS, and that's where maintenance savings play a big part, as you mentioned. AA's ETOPS 757s include the 20 75Ls and the 13 Hawai'i 757ERs.

Perhaps, but the eastbound weight restrictions are due to the relatively short runways at LIH and OGG, which in turn limits the takeoff weight (not enough runway for a fully-laden A321. The issue is the lethargic takeoff performance of the A321 compared to the 757. Don't know if the A321neo will have substantially better short-field performance. If they do, then sure, perhaps they'll solve this issue.

LIH/OGG-LAX flights wouldn't need a full load of fuel (as they're flying east), so I'm not sure if the neos will change that equation. The neos will certainly help with the westbound flights, probably avoiding any westbound weight restrictions even when the fuel tanks are topped off.

Exactly. AA's ability to codeshare the HA inter-island services depends on AA flying a specified minimum number of AA-metal flights to Hawai'i, unless the APA gave that up, and I doubt they did.

Calchas

If it's a shortfield problem then the pilot will want weight distributed maximally rearward during the climb out.

(This is because if there is an engine failure after take off you do not want the rear stabilizer fighting more than necessary to keep the nose up, which it does as an upside down wing by trading forward momentum for downforce on the tail.)

Probably the front few rows of Y will be blocked on the seat map.

DenverBrian

...which is a revenue conundrum for AA, since the front few rows of Y are MCE rows.

Calchas

Oh I mean, the first few rows of Y-

Basically you just want a bunch of people sat at the back

Longboater

If the A321NEO was going to have runway issues at OGG/LIH, then HAL wouldn't have ordered them. They are extending the runway at LIH by almost a thousand feet, but its still short for the A321CEO. However, the A321 isn't as bad of a runway hog as the 739 is that United flies to Hawai'i. The NEO has improved range of over 450 miles and will have better takeoff performance. The 757 is truly a rare plane but is now obsolete. The A321NEO LR will just crush the 757-200ER on fuel efficiency.

WRCSolberg

At least in regard to the A319, I'd wager while 30 seats are blocked on the A321, the cargo hold is going out full 100% of the time. Which *could* be why the A321 is more economical to operate, despite the seat loss.

bchandler02

Let's hope they do this correctly and just stop selling when they hit Y capacity -30, allowing the empty seats to fall wherever they fall (and add some space between people that want it.

If they block specific seats, let's hope they are smart and block middle rows only, like BA euro J class.

msv777

Single travelers might hope for this... Although I would imagine a lot of couples who fly to and maybe from Hawaii would like 2 seats together. Blocking middles could cause some grief!

What ever they do, it will be hard to keep everyone happy.

Cheers.

DenverBrian

True, but even with 30 seats blocked out of the front of Y-, it starts getting to the wing, not really at the front of the plane. It might not be as "heavy to the back" as they actually need without blocking MRC rows (ew).

I could imagine them blocking rows 13-17 or 14-18. I'm assuming that after climbout, they could then release these rows so people could move up/spread out.

rjw242

They won't physically block the seats. Couples can still sit together

But it would be nefarious of them to block middles on the seat map but still charge for the windows/aisles

FWAAA

I doubt you'd win that wager.

AA's 2014 cargo yield was an average of $0.37 per ton mile, so a ton of cargo from LIH to LAX (2,615 miles) would result in about $968 of revenue to AA.

That ton of cargo would displace between 6 and 10 paying passengers plus their bags (depending on their age and gender as children and adult females are assumed to be significantly lighter than adult males).

Load a ton of cargo for $968 of revenue or load 6-10 paying passengers? As long as the one-way fare is greater than $161 (and these days that is a given), cargo is not going to fly ahead of paying passengers.

On these routes, 757s carry very little cargo either direction, and it's very likely that AA's A321s will trivial amounts of cargo. 757s have the payload capacity to carry some cargo due to their better short-field performance. If AA is planning to block 30 seats on the eastbound LIH/OGG-LAX flights, the only cargo is likely to be the checked bags (plus gate-checked bags).

Calchas

Really there's no cargo between the mainland and Hawaii??

Or AA simply do not know how to sell their capacity?

FWAAA

When I said "these routes," I was talking specifically about LIH and OGG to LAX on 757s. Widebodies carry the bulk of the cargo and no airline loads up its 757s with cargo from LIH or OGG.

US loads less than a ton of cargo and mail on its LIH/OGG flights at PHX and at LIH/OGG.

Most Hawai'i-originating cargo is loaded at HNL. Airlines fly to LIH and OGG to carry passengers and their bags, not to carry cargo. Passengers pay several multiples of the fare that cargo pays, as my post laid out.

CMK10

There was a time in my life when I couldn't imagine LAX-HNL without DC-10s, then 767-300s, now 757-200s

What a strange time to be alive this is for any lover of aviation nostalgia.

mikeyfly

My LAX-HNL in Aug switched to A32B - I'm currently in Row 2. Is this the best choice as above suggests avoid row 1?