Airlines are juggling fleets to optimize for a slow traffic recovery. This is a challenge the industry has never had to face before. 9/11 was a short term adjustment because travel demand was still there. Now travel demand has dropped to levels that are unsustainable for the industry. (With the possible exception of China)
Fleet choices are twenty-year decisions. This means fleet assumptions made even a year ago could never have imagined what the industry faces now. Consequently, fleet flexibility under the current circumstances, therefore, is tough. Advance bookings evaporate with any bad news, and with no fees to cancel plans, revenue plans are built on quicksand.
The principal focus area remains on driving seat costs to their lowest levels. Which aircraft in a fleet offers the best tradeoffs between flexibility and low costs? This varies by airline. To get an idea of how the selections are being made we offer this data model. We have a sample chart showing American Airlines.
The model has airlines from around the globe. Please visit the model here. While we develop this new data model we are offering free access to it.
