By Matthew Brown
mbrown@iag-inc.com
1. Point-To-Point – the 787 has far better "point to point" options given its passenger demand lift capabilities. Passenger loads on the 787 better suit airlines that want an airplane which can fly long haul from major, secondary and minor city pairs. The A380 is only good for major city pairs which demand large, regular passenger demand whereas the 787 can fit any, if not all of city demands world wide.
2. Fuel Efficiency – one of the main selling points of the 787 is the large fuel savings it will provide the airlines, which of course translates into profits. Given the volatile oil supply occurances of the last decade, airlines often buy on "speculative" cost per barrel rates to "guess" their savings during bad times such as poor oil supply for any number of reasons. With the built in fuel savings of the 787 there is an automatic savings regardless of oil supply.
3. Passenger Comfort – like its "sister" the 777, the 787 will have passenger comforts commensurate with new, large overhead space. This comfort for passengers is becoming the industry standard which the 787 will continue, and which airlines can capitalize on for short and long haul flights.
4. Pilot, Maintenance & Dispatch Flexibility – the 787 will have built in systems to keep pilot and maintenance costs low. In addition, because of the aircraft's system configuration, long range capability and airport landing availability makes the perfect airplane to plug and play based on each airline's demand. Many airlines have unique software now which helps them put a 787 into operation in short notice, without the complications associated with huge infrastructure demands the A380 requires. In short, the 787 is a very nimble airplane and can be used in many fleet configurations.
5. Quick Turnaround – there are few airports prepared to handle the large passenger and aircraft base operations. Should some technical or personnel problems occur with the A380, hundreds, in fact thousands of passenger can be delayed and stranded because there is no back up, one of a kind airplane to solve the problem. With the 7E7, aircraft size and flexibility allows for quick "fix" operations due to regular, ongoing flights and aircraft replacement. This is a worse case scenario, on a minor basis, Boeing operational support world wide makes turn around time very quick, making for a successful airline and a happy passenger. When airplanes are flying airlines make money, when they are sitting on the ground, they do not. Anyone can surmise the dollar benefit here of owning and operating a more flexible 787.
6. State Of The Art – the 787 has built in state of the art systems, designed to upgrade and modify with oncoming improvements in satellite, navigation and communications happening in the next decade. These state of the art systems built into the design, as well as preloading adaptability for new developments in flight pattern dispatch (CN&S mentioned above) allows airlines to upgrade their fleets cost affectively without long down time airplane modification.
7. Boeing Ingenuity – Boeing has a long tradition of "over delivering" design upon completion. Meaning, engineering breakthroughs and application from inception to delivery of a new Boeing airplane has always translated into an airplane which breaks through initial performance guarantees. This dynamic is not just an engineering occurrence that happens at Boeing, but an ingenuity marvel that is built into the people who work there. Airlines have long been happily surprised to see the final aircraft delivered meets and most often exceeds their expectations.
