United Airlines has a straightforward solution to the challenges facing U.S. carriers: go big or go home. The Chicago-based airline announced on Tuesday that it’s ordering 110 new aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. The reason? A shortage of air-traffic controllers, crowded skies, and limited airport resources have led many airlines to reduce their flight schedules. United sees these issues getting worse and is opting for larger planes to meet the increasing demand for air travel.
The Strategy Behind the Size
United’s Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, made it clear on Tuesday that the U.S. isn’t building more runways anytime soon. “The country is just not building a lot more runways and that’s just going to cause us to need to upgauge our aircraft to respond to growing demand,” he said.
The plan is to increase the average number of seats per departure in North America by over 40% by 2027, compared to 2019 levels. The new order includes 50 Boeing 787-9 planes, which can hold up to 129 more seats than the 767s currently in United’s fleet. The airline is also buying 60 Airbus A321neos, which can fit up to 30% more seats than some of Boeing’s 757s.
Industry Trends and Challenges
United isn’t the only airline thinking bigger is better. According to Airlines for America (A4A), about 68% of domestic U.S. flights now use planes with more than 120 seats, compared to 58% before the pandemic. This has led to a 14% increase in seats per flight, even though there’s been a 9% reduction in the number of scheduled flights.
The move toward larger planes is partly due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Many retired during the pandemic, and training for new ones has stopped. JetBlue’s CEO, Robin Hayes, said last month that it would take five years to catch up on staffing levels, even if hiring doubled. This has led to fewer flights and has impacted revenue. United has even had to cut daily flights from Newark, its largest global gateway.
The Upside of Going Big
Addison Schonland, a partner at consulting firm AirInsight, pointed out that the trend toward larger planes is also driven by an industry-wide pilot shortage, worsened by layoffs and retirements during the pandemic. Bigger planes mean more profitability for airlines. They can sell more seats per flight and operate with fewer planes and staff. United mentioned that its larger aircraft would lead to lower per-seat costs. Schonland added that airlines could increase seat capacity by 10% with just a 2%-3% increase in fuel consumption. Newer planes are also more fuel-efficient, reducing carbon emissions.
United Airlines is investing in larger planes to tackle a range of challenges, from air traffic controller shortages to limited airport space. By doing so, they aim to meet growing travel demand and operate more efficiently.
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