jayunited wrote:STT757 wrote:During the conference call today UA reiterated that they are still looking for used aircraft opportunities. We were discussing 777s and Hawaii, would UA be interested in used 777-300s, non ERs. Perhaps half a dozen or so for the Pacific from Hawaii and Guam?
That aircraft would be perfect for HNL-GUM-HNL. In another thread people took issue with the fact that I stated this route could benefit from the 77W and I'll agree 60 Polaris seats are not necessary but a 777-300 in the right configuration would be the perfect aircraft for this route which is still growing both in terms of passengers and cargo.
If there was truly sufficient demand, especially in the premium cabin and for cargo don’t you think UA would have put a 77E on the route by now?
Can’t imagine it’d be that difficult. Terminate NRT-HNL, let JV partner NH cover the route (they already operate 3x 789 TYO-HNL) and use the plane to operate, say ORD-HNL-GUM and reverse. I can assure you HNL-ORD has enough cargo demand that the payload increase alone would be welcomed.
All that said, payload is only half the equation. I’d argue capacity, not payload is at a greater premium on HNL-GUM for cargo and as I’m sure you’re aware, some of the pmUA 77Es only have 28 L3 positions due to lower deck crew rest. So let’s say you stick a 77E on HNL-GUM. You may gain 10-20k in payload but lose 4 L3 positions.
Putting aside passenger baggage, do you know what the single largest “commodity” UA carries below deck on HNL-GUM? If you guessed mail, you’re correct. On average, mail is a lower density commodity meaning it bulks out more often than not meaning payload is less an issue than space.
Additionally, it may be news to some but UA actually charters a 75F 2x weekly HNL-GUM to carry any overflow mail. Regular freight can does move on these charters, albeit standby.
In summation, all considered, I don’t see UA placing a premium heavy 77E/W on a route shorter than ORD-HNL with shoty demand at best for the premium cabin. I flew HNL-GUM-HNL last year and was upgraded with ease.
77H