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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Hub-enomics vs an AOC's with 787 Service, BOI Plight

Boeing has for along time developed a premise that large hubs are doomed like the dinosaur. They are too big , too inflexible, and too congested to be efficient and travel friendly. They countered with the Hub busting family of 787 aircraft. Both Airbus and Boeing study the statistics of each Airport of Consequence (AOC). The acronym is to be used through out this discussion. Boeing has gone rouge with its travel concept by thinking people will prefer a personal travel experience anywhere in the world with its hometown AOC. What makes an AOC?
  • The Region
  • The Population
  • and the Chamber of Commerce 
Super Hubs won't get you swimming or skiing faster, but they they do get you confused and tired. Boeing has built an airplane that disenfranchises the Super Hub from all that anxiety. Airports have not caught up to an "AOC mentality", nor have they caught Boeing's vision of direct flights by foregoing going to a hub first before the journey really begins. 

Take my case as an example; BOI is my home airport, currently served by single aisle equipment. What it needs is to become an "AOC" , which means having an affiliation with airlines having equipment that can fly passengers everywhere. Currently BOI snagged Allegiance on a part time basis. Allegiance  has no Dreamliner equipment flying on its routes. BOI can't become an AOC because of it. Boise Has 600,000 people in the valley. A Substantial Corporate foot Print with HP, Micron, Albertsons, and a plethora of budding tech companies. Many of its staffs travel to Hong Kong or to Europe on business. 

It could become the Silicon Valley JR or a cousin to the Microsoft plantation in Redmond, WA, if it had 787 wide body service. Boeing could also have a potential business footprint in the "Treasure Valley", containing ancillary businesses for its burgeoning 777X, 787 and 737 Renton projects. It doesn't hurt to ask, so I am asking. Boise is fifty minutes away by air to Everett. Allegiance goes to Hawaii from Boise over Christmas. This is also the same story for many under utilized  airports nation wide. Where non AOC's  need catching  the Boeing  "Dream" for its airport service. Before any city or the likes of Boise can  become a "city of significant consequence" it must achieve AOC status, through landing a 787 Dreamliner.

Defining BOI:

A hub is self descriptive. However, Boise BOI is more of a pivot. It's a source for its area people for accessing the world. It can't be done efficiently without 787 service. The valley has acres upon acres of space waiting for the right partners serving the world, Once again I invite you to come and see what BOI and Boise is about. 

Boeing's Dream cannot realize, until after its customers fill its high density routes with 787.  The 787 makes each airport it visits consequential, and its city becomes a significant player in the world of travel.  The AOC theme is only realized only by the 787 family coming to an airport like BOI in Boise, ID.

Where's are the  Dreamliners? We are growing to AOC status at BOI!

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BOI main terminal building after renovation and enhancements.

BOI Terminal Concourse
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787 passengers have not arrived.

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Single Aisle service counters


Luggage Service is ready for the Dreamliner


BOI ready to travel

Boise, wishing your next destination has this view looking at the ski area at the top.
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Delta comes and goes - Do you have 787 coming?
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Capital City
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Saturday, April 18, 2015

Dominic Gates Seattle Times Is At It Again

Boeing retools Renton plant for 737’s big ramp-up


So the Seattle Times gives a great preview of Boeing's 737 make-over of production in Renton, Washington. Rather than misspell myself into Blogger bliss, I will make it short. Click the link above and enjoy the article by Dominic Gates of the Seattle Times.

Reference the above link on your computer for a great article concerning both the NG and Max projects running simultaneous with a 52 737 a year clip by 2018. The year is just a number that sounds far off. It is less time than car payment book. The Five years lead time started several years back, when Boeing announced the Max. But in less than 36 months the big show at 737 central will be flying the 737 aircraft off the tarmac at 47 a month pace. Once the Max is tested and ready for delivery, the rate will grow to its production goal of 52 a month.

Systems installation at Boeing’s Renton plant now takes place on six 737 fuselages at the same time. That will grow to nine fuselages later this year as production ramps up. These fuselage sections move on a rail system from one position to the next.  (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times)

737 Production Pins
Photo Credit Seattle Times See Video in factory at the Seattle Times Link above.

Order Book Wars: Spring Addition

Copa Airlines came to Boeing's rescue. It ordered 10 Max in 2014 as a silent bidder, then comes the overarching Boeing and Copa announcement of 61 grand total Max on order during the 2014-2015 order cycle. Fifty-one more Max are slotted in the 2015 order Book.

Boeing also has 32 unidentified Boeing heavies namely the 787-9's as compared with Airbus upping its A-330 order book by 34.

The order race is almost a dead heat for 2015 with Airbus having a net of 101 and Boeing with a net of 111. The Airbus total, caps through March 31,2015. The Boeing net total is YTD coming from is Boeing.com website. 

Boeing with its large unidentified group of 787-9 will have the greatest dollar value.


Orders through April 14, 2015.


I just love copy/paste from Boeing's new commercial aviation site. Please visit the site, its really smooth. 


737747767777787Total
2015 Net Orders6631734111

Customers737747767777787Total
Alaska Airlines6----6
All Nippon Airways5---38
COPA Airlines51----51
FedEx--1--1
GECAS2----2
Korean Airlines---5-5
Ryanair3----
3
Silk Way Airlines-3---3
Unidentified Customer(s)4--23238
2015 Gross Orders7131735117
Changes-5----1-6
2015 Net Orders6631734111


737747767777787Total

Blue highlighted text in the chart above indicates updates for the current week.
Changes since last update: One new order (FedEx one 767). Identified COPA Airlines order for 51 737s previously listed as unidentified.
Boeing swamps the Ultra Heavy category with a total order book of 747,767, and 777 equaling 11 on the big spenders and 32 for 787.

Airbus was awash with zero A-350 and A-380 ordered, clear since the first of the year. So its onto 34 A-330 cashing in the majority of its order money for wide bodies.

Total Gross Order Airbus per A/C Family

CUSTOMER Date of order Type Type TOTAL
UNDISCLOSED 30-Jan A330-200-5 5
AIRASIA 24-Feb A320Neo-9 9
UNDISCLOSED 27-Feb A320Ceo-5 A320NEO-18 23
LUFTHANSA 5-Mar A320Neo-1 1
AIR LEASE CORPORATION 9-Mar A320Neo-30 A330-900-25 55
TURKISH AIRLINES 9-Mar A330-200-F-4 4
ANA HOLDINGS 24-Mar A320Ceo-4 A320Neo-3 7
CIT 25-Mar A320Ceo-5 5
PHILIPPINE AIRLINES 30-Mar A320Neo-12 12
TOTAL GROSS ORDERS 121
TOTAL CANCELLATIONS A320Ceo--10 A321--10 -20
TOTAL NET ORDERS 101

My observations on the Airbus Order Book so many CEO's and so Few NEO's 
So Many A330-200's and a freight order coupled with the last years promise order from Airlease for 25 A-330-900'S, FINALIZED in March of 2015.

Thursday, April 16, 2015

Nuff Said About R2-D2 Another 787-9 Gets its Chops

starwarsjet

Its a Disney-ANA credit and a wrap.

Boeing U-Tube Demo Animation

Boeing's New Single Aisle Luggage Trough Attracks Travelers

Boeing is making its over head bins 50% larger. Yeah goes middle seat contemporaries. Hooray for business appointments juggernauts. Carry-on the overnight business suite of backpacks brief cases and Bin Luggage. Roll up your shirts, pack it and strike up the toothpaste. You can fly business junkie in the new and improved Boeing overhead Bin. Am I on a 787? Count the seats in your row before you sit down to make sure its okay. 1-2-3-4-5-6, yeah this is the new Max.

If the old Overhead bin only holds four carry-on bag stuffing, fifty percent bigger means space for an additional 2 carry-on. Holy-moly, is the 737 Max stretched longer down the length of the aircraft for six old bags per bin? Or will there be some overlapping Bins into the next Row?

Here is my own Overhead-Bin Schematic during passenger loading. I am the first luggage pig on the left at the trough.

Photo Credit: http://onthefarm.e2bn.org/littlefarm/library/1169628412/100_6563.jpg
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Boeing will be upset with my six -eight pig trough schematic, so I will move to the actual photo of the Boeing schematic in concept mode.

Boeing Photo Credit

 Space Bins in 737 Configuration Studio

Hah-Hah, I was right about the bin space overlapping the rows within the confines of a seating/cabin space available. When one bin fills-up from "the luggage pigs", Boeing thinks the next bin which may be overlapping into your row will be available. In a perfect world, yes. This may be an enticement for a bigger problem! A passenger sees an opportunity, The passenger savvy pigs may adjust, since many may want to carry more stuff on, and push respectable person's who is loading late at the trough (me always), luggage goes back into baggage check status and onto terminal hell found at the destinations. The problem is with the airlines, who should only allow a passengers one carry on. Where so many additional items such as backpacks, purses and accessory cases slip past the "Bah, Bye" lead flight attendant during passenger loading.