myrddin, it looks like you've got part of the answer already from Ivan & SFAL. The A300B4 will uplift 45 tons on the short-medium routes with plenty of volume. It's ideal for the main hub to hub & other high volume routes & DHL, among others, have no plans to replace them in the short to medium term, there's at least 5 - 8 more years in them yet. There is no viable replacement available in the weight/price range right now & if they're that bad, why would UPS order 60 new build -600s & FedEx is buying up A300s & A310s for conversion? OK, so the B4 is old but the ecomomics of the operation have to be weighed against the low purchase price right now bringing the hourly cost of operation, especially the ton/kilometer rate down to acceptable levels. As a pure cargo aircraft they do leave something to be desired but it's 'horses for courses' & right now the A300-B4 is the right steed for the integrators.
The 34 B757s will replace the B727s on night operations as it is night bans that are killing the 72 in integrator service. The whole idea is to leave as late as possible, hub during the night & arrive back at destination as early as possible, thus putting them in the middle of the most sensitive period. There are, however, still airports in Europe that will accept them during the day which will allow ad hoc operations plus the rest of the world, Africa, Middle East, Far East & even the USA, which are nowhere near as restrictive. The 72 is not dead yet just, like me, getting old & can't stand the late nights anymore.
To get back to the main point of the thread, the changes that are taking place have got to be preferable to any of the alternatives. I'm not pretending to be that far up the food chain that I have all the answers but I've got enough 'gen' to make a reasoned guess at what's going on & feel that, with all the gloom & doom thats being spread in other parts of these forums, this still looks like a light at the end of the tunnel & it ain't the train coming the other way! That's still only my considered opinion, however. What about the rest of you guys???
(edited for bad spelling!)
[ 11 January 2002: Message edited by: RampTramp ]</p>