I have tried to introduce some 787-8 for my long haul fleet and had initially very good success with almost immediately filled aircraft. But since the few 787-8 I had in the fleet were a 4th category, I reckoned I could save some millions in maintenance, if I would replace the 787 with the slightly bigger 777-200.
While the re-planning was a major effort due to the different TA times, I am very surprised by the different booking behaviour. I see this on various destinations, so this one here is just an example. While the 787-8 is fully booked, I can't get even close to a full aircraft on the 777-200 with a significant lower price. There are no other operators flying on that route, so direct competition is not a cause, the seats and in-flight product is the same.
Do I have to get new 777-200 to get better ratings? Or is it simply the aircraft type that has such a big influence? In real life, I can't imagine that the aircraft age has an influence, as I don't know as a passenger what aircraft is used on my specific flight, nor do I know the exact age of an aircraft. And especially the cabin is as brand-new as in the 787-8 as it was just installed.
You say you changed the timetable? A major factor in long haul flights is actually connecting traffic so maybe the change in timetable has reduced options to connect.
The other thing I can think of is the 787 flies faster than the 777. This leads to a better rating for the 787 as the length the passenger is on the place is reduced
I also think it is a matter of connecting traffic.
Aircraft type and age are image factors, and only have an indirect impact on the ratings of your flights. I doubt that caused a sudden fall in bookings. And as far as I know both the 777 and the 787 can get an ORS rating of 100. I mean, both planes are in the category of faster planes. So that would probably not cause a big difference either.
Hmm, that could be a possibility, though I didn't change much on the times. I am still flying out late afternoon/early evening to get a maximum of my own transfer pax and will not arrive at much different times at the destination. But for sure, I could miss an important connection in some cases.
I´d suggest to witch back to the 787. The AS Team said, that when the real 787-9 goes into comercial service, it wont be long until she arrives in AS aswell. So that shouldn´t be too long until then. And the 787-9 should be able to compete with a 772 in terms of seating. If not, simply fly the route with two 787-8. Might not be realistic....but if its profitable who cares, right?!
