The time may be near for me to start my airline. A few things different about my airline:
* All the planes are 787-10
* We have our own airports / terminals so we control the experience door-to-door
* There is no lounge in the airport. The airport IS the lounge.
* The planes are all one class. Plenty of room per person. Broken in to single travelers, couples, and families. All groups get same legroom, just changes how many people are next to you.
* TSA happens at the jetway, not the terminal. So you can come in, enjoy your own food and beverage, watch your family take off, and still keep the plane secure.
* Every seat on the plane is guaranteed overhead space for 1 carry on item, plus the spot for their other carry on under the seat.
* Every airport includes a hotel, so if you get stranded you can stay there.
* Every airport includes an all electric EV rental company.
* Flights are direct between major cities. Los Angeles to New York, Orlando, Minneapolis, etc. No need for connecting flights.
* No boarding groups. Y’all board when we open the door(s). No need to rush the plane either as everyone is guaranteed that spot for luggage.
*No checked bag fee. It’s all built in to the base price of the ticket.
More cool things I can do:
Simple I control the plane, airport, and terminal I can optimize all for each other.
* Arrival sleds that pull the plane in to the terminal. This ensures the plane is always in the exact correct location every… single… time…
* Same sled can be used to push back away from the gate. No need for a tug. Also ensures never having a wing / tail strike as it is a guaranteed path.
@PhotonEmpress@spacey.space
* Can optimize jetways for multiple doors to allow better dis/embark from the plane, possibly on both side
* Allows stowed luggage automation by having un/load systems lined up and ready to go for every flight. No need for a human to throw your luggage on the plane itself, robots can throw it now!
* Cooler looking jetway since it is optimized for the 787-10 specifically. No need for long extension arms, just a subtle adjustment at the end for parking slop.
* If de icing is necessary that can be done at the terminal after the doors close. System is built in to the terminal itself and optimized for the 787-10
* Does the runway need to be straight? https://youtu.be/hpgS3BJvrTg
YouTube
Circular runways could revolutionize airport trafficEverything using 787-10 and everything being direct are opposing requirements… Southwest has it correct with 737, but you might want even more granularity, like the A220. If it were me: Everything uses A220 like fuselage but wingspan like the 777x, halving fuel consumption. Flights 1500km or less are pure electric.
787-10 is a larger plane so it’s mileage gets hit, but still enough for the routes we need. It is more fuel efficient and it is a composite vehicle which allows us to put moisture back in the air. This helps lessen jet lag.
I want the -10 specifically because I’m losing seat space for leg room. But we still need to get enough people on the plane.
Airbus doesn’t have an offering that matches the 787-10 at this time.
although if I could go pure electric, that would win. Eliminates fuel cost. Charging would be interesting, that infrastructure would need to make sense.
This is about a premium experience more than anything else. So the smaller aircraft likely don’t work, and I’m not sure how to scale electric today.
Electric scales linearly with size; it’s not a problem except that larger planes require more capital to develop (and typically take longer). A real problem with small planes is that regulations require 2 pilots if more than 9 passengers, and also flight attendants (at least 1 per 50 passengers) if above 19 passengers. So you need 3 flight crew for 20 passengers, a terrible crew:pax ratio of 6.7. Compare to 37:1 if you have 299 passengers.
