Originally Posted by
yanrair
The 757 is a great plane but much more expensive to operate than a 737 and not a lot bigger. Designing a new plane costs squillions. So Boeing have stretched the 737 again. 737 had a secret weapon- airstairs! The lovey757 is now freight in the main. Sad.
Y
Why so? What was driving the cost? The fuselage cross section was the same as 707, 727 and 737. Wings were better, and the undercarriage was high enough to support support high bypass turbofans without workarounds. The 757-200 was originally intended as a replacement for the 727-200 and is only 2 ft. longer, even if it seats more due to more efficient use of cabin space. It is hard to see why a shrink of the 757 would not have been a competent replacement for the 737 - 700 to 900 and a serious competitor for the A32x-Neo.