The Culture Of Demand Chapter 1. The Airplane Industry Has Changed

"The Culture Of Demand", sounds like a book title but its what happening to the aviation industry. The “that’s the way we’ve always done it” is rapidly shifting to just-in-time fleet changing. The airplane culture had the Jumbo Jets spanning the globe during the 70’s through 2010 for forty years without a pause. The airplane culture said going from Australia to Los Angeles is a job for the 747. It also said going Euro via New York required a 757. The airline culture was set on its own status quot.

However, there is a change coming signaled by the President Of The US own proclamation, “The 747 is way too expensive”, until two mothballed 747-8’s were found in California for Presidential purchase. 

Trans Aero did not take delivery of its two 747’s ordered and the Air Force found two brand new ones sitting in California with Boeing. The culture was shifting from the 747.

Then there was the 787 saga of medium wide-body flying the world. 

A 737 NG could only carry 187 passengers going ocean hopping and 240 passengers or more with twin engine 787's.

The airplane culture said no more four (engines). Twins are the apropos style today as a 409 passenger twin is proposed from the 777-9X type. The airplane culture may yet demand a 777-10X twin going 450 seats, thus eliminating any four engine A380 ticket holders. The Pan Am clipper was a dying breed never to be seen again as it landed in New York Harbor from the 1930's.

It Had four engines too!

It also had lie flat seating as well with its "Compartments"

The age of Art Deco passed when WWII came and went. However, the culture keeps churning forward and its demand walks hand in hand as each aviation option plays out. 

Currently, the aviation prognosticators see a different day coming, but it waits for the aviation culture to catch-up on that day. The market must figure out how the "new airplanes" will fit in and offer public options of travel before the culture can settle in with the Jumbo twin engines and super efficient single aisle aircraft. 

The problem comes from the airline top of the organizational tree. They talk of 30" pitch as some kind of standard. Next comes the executive clowns who figure out how to stand passengers up like beef on a hook at a slaughter house. The execs may even suggest its the best way to travel "you'll love it", in an attempt at changing the airline culture into becoming a side of passenger beef.

Somewhere along the marketing supply and demand class an instructor read a book called the "Field of Dreams". "Build it and they will come", was a multiple choice answer. The MBA now working for an airline said, he/she learned it at school during the board of director's presentation class. Mutual clapping was heard from down the hall by those living in cubes. The Administrative assistant heard back slapping from behind the closed door meeting room.

New airplanes are built for the bottom line and not the passenger's bottom. They have departed from the classic mission of building it wonderfully and success will be the results. The new mission is no longer a passenger centered concept but a freight centered operation. The people buying tickets are too fat and they won't cooperate with freight packaging constraints. If Boeing could build a single aisle that could fly cord wood 5,000 miles they would. The airlines haven't figure out how to convince its customers that cord wood seating is a good thing. They are now exploring a way to charge extra for a personally sized meat hook. 

Yes, the culture is not coming from demand but is coming from profit makers. It has become a culture of profit. Long live the "Clipper".