Donkey Duke - whilst it is true that new leases are available at remarkably cheap rates, I somehow don't think that JMC (or very few other airlines) are currently
adding aircraft, do you?
As for trying to return existing aircraft to take advantage of better deals - are you smoking something?
What lessor is going to want to take back aircraft in the present climate - when they would have to lease them out again for less than they are getting at the moment? Why do you think BA (and VS) parked their 747 classics rather than their -400s?
Good grief!
yellowdog - the problem with Cale was that its Technical Director, a certain Mr Bradbury, didn't like the L1011s - so refused to spend anything on them. Consequently, they suffered.
Compare them with aircraft from Transat and ATA which have had money spent on new interiors - those aircraft look as good as new - and cost under 10% of the price of an A330 or 767.
If you're going to operate older aircraft (or cars, or anything mechanical!), then you just have to spend a bit on coddling them - and on making (and keeping them) looking good. A stitch in time, and all that.
Unfortunately, some people tend to equate cheap to buy with cheap to maintain - and that isn't the case. The business plan for my transatlantic operation which was going to operate L15s from Delta was based around buying runout aircraft for next to nothing and spending a fraction of the money we'd have spent on 767s or similar modern aircraft on D checks and brand new interiors that would have had the aircraft looking like 777s.