DocLightning wrote:In addition to the other points made here, the 777 fleet underwent a change in the last 10-15 years from 3-3-3 seating to 3-4-3 seating, which improved capacity and CASM.
But I think it's also important to understand that airliner technology is at a different point of maturity than it was when the 777 replaced the DC-10 and L-1011. Between 1960 and 1990, commercial aviation underwent an enormous revolution. We had the advent of jet transports of various sizes, the advent of the widebody, and the advent of the widebody twin. Between 1990 and 2020, the changes have been more incremental and subtle. FBW, engine efficiency improvements, new materials. So even by modern standards, the 777-200 is still a modern aircraft. She was designed with full CAD and CFD. She has FBW. She is a widebody twin. And while the 772's engines may lack the elegant swept blades of newer aircraft, they were and are still advanced high-BPR turbofans.
For passengers, the interior is still bright and modern. Many airlines have upgraded their interiors with new multicolor LEDs to rival the effects seen on the 787 and A350. I'll happily fly a well-maintained 772.
You can say the same things about tne A340-600 or A380, yet they have fallen out of favor for newer and more efficient designs. Also, using your logic, the 757 should have replaced the larger 737's.
Fact of the matter is, the 777-200 is the airplane of 1995, not 2022. Nobody is listening to Alice in Chains' Tripod album (1995 Seattle music) now, so why should the 1995 Seattle airliner be considered "modern"?