@Cyrano: I was the one who mentioned 1.5 A330 for SFO. I didn't refer to it as a magic number however. I get this from statement's previously by EI execs, they stated that to offer an attractive offering to the West Coast would require 2 fleet units which they did not have to spare. The issue with West Coast ops is the vulnerability to tech disruption. Now I am not sure what EI consider "an attractive offering" but I would assume it means 4/5 per week.
So yes,with a bit of tweaking EI could probably operate 4x weekly DUB-SFO with a single unit. But this would affect other routes and/or could still be very tight and prone to disruption. So by freeing up the "SNN A330" and dropping DUB-ORD back to daily.......suddenly you have the extra flex in fleet rotation to plan 5x weekly with perhaps a spare aircraft 2 days a week. (East coast ops easily allow 2 sectors per 20-22 hours, West coast would take ~27 hours per 2 sectors,assuming 2-3 hours on the ground)
Remember that EI do not dedicate specific aircraft to specific routes, the A333's and A332's have a pattern that moves them onto different routes through the month. 4x weekly and prone to delays is a lot less attractive to 5x weekly and reliable.
Ultimately of course the EI network planning section will make these decisions, not any of us. It could be that the West Coast is a no go area for EI until the A350 arrives, and all our chat is pie in the sky.
@Noxegen......I agree totally. It should be 'points per miles travelled' or 'points per Euro spent'. Fair across the board. Don't penalise GC members for getting a good deal on ei.com. I have read similar complaints from GC members on other sites.
Last edited by DollarBill; 26th Feb 2013 at 15:08.