DylanHarvey wrote:lga31vfr wrote:flyfresno wrote:Per the press release, JNB-EWR will be "the only roundtrip, nonstop service from the United States to Johannesburg by a U.S carrier." Seems like a very specifically targeted statement...
yup. Unfortunately, there's not much DL can do other then eat crow. Having to fly JNB via CPT because they don't have the right plane puts them at a disadvantage. Just curious, other than the 77L, what plane can make JNB to ATL non stop, filled with cargo and people?
This has nothing to do with the right plane. JNB-ATL is a route that goes over 17 hours in the winter, it is over an hour longer than JNB-JFK and JNB-EWR, closed to an hour and a half on bad days. The 77L is the only one that can make it, and it wasn’t easy, it stopped A LOT in Florida or SJU for fuel in the winter, in a Delta thread the average payload was stated to be about 32 to 35 tons. If you read more into the technical aspect if the temperature was to drop even just a degree that kid can multiple passengers or even metric tons of cargo. 400 to 500 nautical miles makes a huge difference on a performance marginal route like this. Filled with cargo and people was an over estimation, That’s 32 to 35 tons of payload would easily drop under 30 with a few degree temperature change or wind change which would mean not a full board of passengers. I think the high gross weight 346 could make it, and that is it. The highest yields are in the winter which also means the weather is the worst across the ocean and the Cape Town stop completely illuminates the chance for a fuel stop as the flight is around an hour shorter.
thats very interesting. Thanks for that info. Sounds like the only way DL will fly NS to JNB will have to be out of JFK.\