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Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
I know that most LCCs in Europe are focusing on aircraft of 180pax capacity and up.And Easyjet is phasing out its A319s, replacing them with A320s ceo and neos...But now that the former CS100 and 300s have been renamed and form part of the Airbus family, should the orange giant rethink its strategy and replace the A319s with A223s? The aviation industry has been singing praises about its superior performance on the short-to-medium haul sector and it certainly surpasses the heavier A319..With a config of 150-55 pax the A220-300 could replace Easyjet's A319s on thinner routes or be used interchangeably in winter when traffic takes a dip after holidays..Not all routes can be sustained profitably with A320s and just maybe Easyjet could open new routes from its current or new bases..Would it be so complex from a cost p.o.v to integrate it into its fleet and wouldn' t the pros outweigh the cons? Jetblue is about to do it, Korean air did it,Swiss did it..Could U2 pull this off?
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet if A220-300s?
Theoretically they could but it would make things complex . In somewhere like lgw where there’s 70 a/c a fleet of 20 would be ok but outside of this you would need to make a/c same type because of crew cover etc . I think they are more likely to keep a320 as mainstay with 186 seats . If and when 320 gets new fd then if they can get on same type rating then this is more likely
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
Never say never, but with some of their main hubs (eg LGW, LTN) they are slot constrained, so bringing in a smaller type doesn't make much sense.
In fact they seem to be going the other way now, increasing the number of A321's in the fleet.
In fact they seem to be going the other way now, increasing the number of A321's in the fleet.
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
At the moment they have 125 A319s left in the fleet. The newest of these are less than 8 years old, the oldest 15 years (and the few remaining - 8, I think - 15 year old ones go this year)..
They have 130 A320neo and 27 A321neo on firm order, plus options for 119 A32x neos of unspecified type.
Does this look to anyone that they're about to change their strategy of gradually upgauging the fleet, while maintaining common type rating for pilots and cabin crew?
They have 130 A320neo and 27 A321neo on firm order, plus options for 119 A32x neos of unspecified type.
Does this look to anyone that they're about to change their strategy of gradually upgauging the fleet, while maintaining common type rating for pilots and cabin crew?
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- PlymSpotter
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
They have been here already - easyJet considered ordering the C Series (as it was then) several years ago. They decided that it wasn't operationally appealing, despite the economics of the aircraft itself, to have two type ratings in the fleet.
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- FlightLevel360
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
No; for a low cost carrier like easyJet, they should stay with one manufacturer to simplify fleet costs. The A319 neo can do the same job for them.
To me, it will always be:
- Bombardier CSeries
- Airbus A321neoLR and A321neoXLR
- EMBRACER ERJ-170, ERJ-175, ERJ-190, and ERJ-195
- MITSUBUSHI MRJ
Anti narrowbody-long range-twinjet gang. Long live the A380 and 747!
- Bombardier CSeries
- Airbus A321neoLR and A321neoXLR
- EMBRACER ERJ-170, ERJ-175, ERJ-190, and ERJ-195
- MITSUBUSHI MRJ
Anti narrowbody-long range-twinjet gang. Long live the A380 and 747!
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
FlightLevel360 wrote:No; for a low cost carrier like easyJet, they should stay with one manufacturer to simplify fleet costs. The A319 neo can do the same job for them.
And I believe the jump from a319->a320 doens't require a extra FA. So it's in reality free extra seats against a lower spread cost.
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- PatrickZ80
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
Richard28 wrote:Never say never, but with some of their main hubs (eg LGW, LTN) they are slot constrained, so bringing in a smaller type doesn't make much sense.
In fact they seem to be going the other way now, increasing the number of A321's in the fleet.
I agree with this. Slots are too precious to waste on a small aircraft, they need a minimum aircraft size to make them viable. That's the reason the A319s are leaving the fleet, they're too small. The A320 is the aircraft for thinner routes, the A321 for heavy bulk routes. Any route that is too thin for an A320 isn't interesting for them, after all they do have their fixed cost for a route (slots, handling, etc) and they need to earn those costs back with a variable number of passengers. Too few passengers and the flight is loss-making, and the A220 doesn't haul enough passengers.
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- [email protected]
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
Like W6 and to a lesser extent FR, EZY are upgauging rather than going the other way.
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- JamesCousins
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
[email protected] wrote:Like W6 and to a lesser extent FR, EZY are upgauging rather than going the other way.
Routes that previously only warranted A319s now justify A320s because EZY fly the route. EZY operating a route increases demand to a certain degree...
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- Channex757
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
Same as Southwest which was discussed here not long ago. One aircraft type, one engine family. That is what has kept Easyjet and Southwest in the black. It certainly works for Ryanair too.
The A220 would mean a completely different aircraft and engine, with all the added costs of that. Keeping it simple as WN and FR have done is the way to reliably make profits in the lowcost space.
The A220 would mean a completely different aircraft and engine, with all the added costs of that. Keeping it simple as WN and FR have done is the way to reliably make profits in the lowcost space.
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
FlightLevel360 wrote:No; for a low cost carrier like easyJet, they should stay with one manufacturer to simplify fleet costs. The A319 neo can do the same job for them.
Isnt the A319neo a lot heavier and costlier compared to the A220-300, thus more uneconomical esp.on short hops?
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
Channex757 wrote:Same as Southwest which was discussed here not long ago. One aircraft type, one engine family. That is what has kept Easyjet and Southwest in the black. It certainly works for Ryanair too.
The A220 would mean a completely different aircraft and engine, with all the added costs of that. Keeping it simple as WN and FR have done is the way to reliably make profits in the lowcost space.
Hmm..Does that mean that Jetblue is goin the wrong way about it since it's ditching its E-jets but not focusing solely on A320/321 fleet and went ahead with the A223s?
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
marcogr12 wrote:yes, that's why (almost) no-oneFlightLevel360 wrote:No; for a low cost carrier like easyJet, they should stay with one manufacturer to simplify fleet costs. The A319 neo can do the same job for them.
Isnt the A319neo a lot heavier and costlier compared to the A220-300, thus more uneconomical esp.on short hops?
is ordering 319neo's - certainly not U2.
U2 are up gauging their flights - they haven't gotten a new A319 for a few years, but have just taken their first A321neo.
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- Channex757
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
JetBlue is jetblue. A different type of operation in many respects serving a different market where there is a demand for that smaller aircraft. It isn't a case of right or wrong; it's recognising that Easyjet and Ryanair have followed the Southwest model which has kept them making money from lower fares. Keep the fleet simple and costs low.
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
I think within the UK, EZY will be closely watching what happens with the BE/VS/RE deal. With a new strength behind it, if VS/RE decide to keep the regional flying going and if potentially (And a big IF on that) a new aircraft order, there could be growth from them within the regions that EZY are too big for with it's current aircraft. The economics of the A220 could outweigh the potential of operating A319's. It could also give them the opportunity to venture into newer less demand markets before anyone (BE) get in there. It's doubtful you'd see them at the slot restricted airports (LGW/LTN), but could work at the likes of BFS, BRS, LPL etc.
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- BrianDromey
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
The A220 is a different type of aircraft, offering 180 seater CSAM and 150 seater RASM. But it also requires a different type of operation, thinner domestic routes in Italy, France, Germany and the UK for example. I do think the A220 is a different proposition now that it has Airbus behind it.
Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
A220/Cseries is not a magical never before aircraft. The model of LCC/ULCC is not going to change with a new plane. They packas many people on the planes and fly on core routes or on the edges of core routes peeling off the traffic. EZY has been increasing average size of aircraft. All airlines have. Their model has worked and continues to work. They are going to (as well as all other airlines) from the sub-150 seat space. The plane costs are marginally different with much more revenue potential. A319s are will turn favor to 320/321s, not smaller.
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lightsaber
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Re: Should Easyjet invest in a subfleet of A220-300s?
marcogr12 wrote:FlightLevel360 wrote:No; for a low cost carrier like easyJet, they should stay with one manufacturer to simplify fleet costs. The A319 neo can do the same job for them.
Isnt the A319neo a lot heavier and costlier compared to the A220-300, thus more uneconomical esp.on short hops?
Yes. The A319NEO is too heavy for the role. The A319CEO has poor resale as PIPs to the A320CEO and NEO allow it to do the runs economically. E.g., same (or better with the NEO) engine overhaul interval, not much more fuel, little to no crew costs.
The A220-300 weights 7.6 tons (1000kg =ton) less than the A319NEO which is 6 tons less than the A319CEO and the subsystems on the A220 burn an estimated 3% less fuel.
Even the A320NEO is over-engined as they are 35k thrust on s 27k platform or 22k for A319 (24k option on the A319, but didn't U2 take 22k engines? I'm going from memory...). Engine pressure ratio is a function of thrust, so the A320NEO might operate at a lower pressure ratio than the A220... I don't know, I'm thinking out loud.
The A220-300 can carry a passenger for less than the A320NEO on shorter easyJet missions. For a sale for a hundred, I'm sure the numbers would work in U2's favor.
So yes, they should buy a subfleet. I say start with 80 to 120 with options. Enough bases are required to move the fleet around.
Lightsaber
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