so I was playing around with the aircraft type evaluation tool and I noticed that on pretty much every long haul flight, the Dreamliners and the A350 are much more profitable than the more veteran aircrafts, like the A330s, B777s or B747s.
Also I found that the B747-8 isn't as profitable as the 747-400.
Now I am big fan of B777 and 747, but It just doesn't seem to make sense going for anything else than Dreamliners and A350s.
So my question is on what type of routes DOESN'T it make sense to fly with Dreamliners and A350s?
Well, just like in real life (as you already show with your categorizing) in AirlineSim those planes have the same fields of operations: Longhaul. The smaller ones like 787 and the A350 only get "not optimal" if you have the urgent need to either preserve slots or need more seats because you could and want to afford it. Rightfully, the new planes beat the old ones in virtually any scenario because they can cover the same distances while weighing less and therefor needing less fuel.
To sum it up: They really only get beaten if the bigger ones can be filled.
But keep in mind you don't necessarily need the best plane to be successful. The older ones can win you extra profit by their low capital costs/leasing costs. ;)
Because they are less profitable, they are often more available on the second hand market and therefore cheaper. I operate a subfleet of 777s that I have on very cheap leases, therefore it's worth it. Also, I like the 77W's capacity, which is somewhere between the 789 and the 748/380.
I've never had a serious airline on a server with the 747-400 so don't know, sorry. More experienced players should have an answer. Yes, in theory the 748 should be more profitable, as it is IRL.
The reason why the old 747 is better lies in the update we have done about a year ago to the overall performance data of “current” aircraft. As the 747-400 was no longer available to order, the type was not included in the revision.
We tried to make sure that the current models somehow show realistic values compared to each other, but older types can stand out.
When I was going into the long haul I first took the 788 and 789. However as competition grew I had to lover my prices so eventually I had a very decent demand so I went for larger planes. Eventualy my fleet comprised:
788 - long distance low demand
789 - long distance moderate demand
777-200
777-300 - as these were cheap I used them on medium range flights (3-4 hours) with high demand
777-200ER
777-300ER - destinations were I had more then 1 daily flight with high demand
777-200LR - very long haul
747-8 - long haul high demand
747-400 I flew them on all sorts of destinations. Because of the low lease rates they were very profitable. They are actually the most profitable LR planes I had ever used.
So everything depends on the business model. But to support such a large aircrat you need a very strong feeder network.