Originally Posted by
Skipness One Foxtrot
Load factors can be misleading in cases of the operating aircraft was not the type *SOLD*. Hence the Virgin A350s with the lower capacity and the United B767 swaps when sold as B757s might make a small % dent. The key insight is % of seats sold, not necessarily the same as the load factor on the day when equipment is swapped.
Whilst I agree with the point, in this case the B764s on IAD are as scheduled and not last min equipment swaps, even if the lead time to upgrade was short. It's also very possible the VS A35K config changes were pre-planned weeks/months ago to align with English school hols and sold as such, but we can't say for sure. Even the TK A330s were pre-planned a few weeks in advance in most cases. So it's a bit of a minefield on most routes these days either way, but interesting to get some insight into route popularity anyway.