The 748 had been flying for the best part of 25 years before Budgie became a commonplace nickname. BA seem to be the culprits but it may have started earlier with Dan Air who got all theirs second hand, each being cheaper than a new one.
The ATP was trying to be all things to all men. The hope was to sell it in the US and Canada at a time when many of the regionals were growing rapidly feeding the hubs of the majors from small town airports, the bulk of their smaller aircraft coming from Shorts and BAe. The thinking was that the ATP could capitalise on the generally good reputation of UK built aircraft and with engines built in North America there would be an added draw and the type also had a reasonable range so the hope was the majors would buy it for thin medium range interstate routes.
Because the hubs often used gates with jetways that could only be drooped by a small amount, the early ATPs all had a long front undercarriage leg to allow the forward door to be within reach of jetways. Later aircraft were built with a shorter leg giving the aircraft a level stance.
The aircraft was a failure for many reasons. There were engine problems, many of the US regionals' passengers were demanding jets so the airlines went for smaller jets, outside North America a 748 update rather than replacement was needed and the ATP was too big and complicated for the 748 customer base.
Last edited by philbky; 5th Feb 2015 at 17:40.