Originally Posted by NWSRG
The big question is what will VS do about the LGW fleet...I know the replacement of these hulls is on hold given the current financial situation, but it will come back into vogue in due course. I had assumed A380s or 748s as the main options, but what about 773ERs? Big cost improvements, and probably very little capacity loss...and maybe a good deal given 787 delays?
Unlikely to be 380s or 747-8s for the majority of LGW work (Orlando being the obvious exception) - the Caribbean airfields just can't handle them. In any case, the 747-8 would be an oddity in the fleet given that the A380 is already on order. The 773 works a bit better, but is still excluded from some destinations. However, the 777 must be in the frame to deputise for the delayed 787. More likely, it would seem to me, is the A330/A350. CCQ with the A340, common engineering procedures, the A350 has the capacity to match both the 787 and the 773 in different variants.