Addicted To The 787-8 Fuel Burn Customers Push Back On Fixes

The 787-8 is performing soooh good that its airline customers don't want to interrupt schedules with any down time with Boeing updates. The giant aircraft producer has unloaded an army of engineers chasing and correcting any reported SNAFU's and glitches. The airline operators do not want a day or two down to fix those glitching squawks. After-all is just a slight inconvenience on fuel burn after-all. This a real jam up for Boeing and an irrational effect on customers who are addicted to the fuel burn.

The airline customer must bring in a less efficient aircraft in place of the 787 being fixed over-night. That means a whole tank of fuel operating at a loss on most routes flown by its replacement aircraft. Boeing is expending immense resources making the 787 as compliant as the 99% glitch free 777-300ER. The glitch list is shortening at a rapid rate and now airlines don't want to park the 787 for a fix. The 787 is saving airlines operating bottom line as it is making profits every hour it flies. These enthusiastic customers would like Boeing's team of Glitch fixers to go away for another day, because it would mean the 787 isn't flying that day during glitch fixing time.

The world is thirsty for this airplane now! This basis of thinking was found in an article today recounting this same premise. Don't Ground My 787 during my watch, cry comes from customers lip because it is turning around airlines at the same pace they can launch the aircraft.

By Gregory Polek: AINonline

Fast Pace of Boeing 787 Fixes Challenges Operators

July 3, 2014, 9:29 AM

Resistant to grounding their Boeing 787-8s for a even a short time, several operators have indefinitely deferred addressing fixes to some of the airplanes’ last remaining glitches, presenting the manufacturer with an “issue” as it marches toward its target dispatch reliability rate of 99.6 percent. Now seeing a three-month rolling average of roughly 98.5 percent, Boeing expects to reach its benchmark—established by the world’s 777 fleet—by the second quarter of next year, Boeing 787 vice president and chief project engineer Bob Whittington told reporters during a series of briefings the company recently held in the Seattle area.