Long haul - why no smaller aircraft servicing direct routes?
I'm just a former PPL that happen to travel a lot in my work. I frequently travel between US and Europe, mainly LHR-LAX.
The way air travel is today, I'm loathe to have to change at some hub - I want to fly directly. Unfortunately, that only works for big cities. The other day I had a last minute job taking place in Nashville, TN, but because there are no direct flights there from LHR, I couldn't make it in time and had to turn the job down.
And this made me thinking - all things considered, it must be just as easy to make a 50-seat long range aircraft consume as much fuel per person as a 300-400 pax aircraft. It's just scaling down. Smaller aircraft, smaller engines. Obviously, the 2 pilots up front's monthly salary had to be carried by fewer passengers, but that could probably be offset by the smaller planes having pilots with less seniority and therefore less pay.
My question is - why are there no ERJ 145 long haul planes taking care of the smaller routes like London - Nashville, for instance? Also, how come I can't fly back to Europe from the US in the mornings? Sure, I would arrive at an uncomfortable hour, but if it means getting a job then that's something I am willing to do.