American Airlines has announced that it will be replacing its older fleet of the wide-bodied Boeing 767 planes with 787 Dreamliners, starting in 2020. They will offer “improved fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs, greater range, and enhanced customer experience” over older Airbus and Boeing planes, according to American Airlines President Robert Isom.
As for replacing the narrow-bodied 737s, they’re holding off until 2025-27. “We don’t need to have those in at that point in time, because we have some 737 classics that can fly longer,” American Airlines CFO Derek Kerr said April 6 on the podcast, “Tell Me Why.”
Kerr said that this decision will lower the capital burden for the airline. Then he added, “We will take those aircraft and put them through the Oasis program.”
This is the part of the plan that passengers may not be happy with, because it includes bathrooms that are 75% smaller than the current cramped bathrooms. An unnamed AA pilot quoted in “Inc.” magazine described them as “the most miserable experience in the world.”
The cabin will also be more cramped. Project Oasis is a euphemism for reducing “seating pitch,” i.e., legroom, to 30-inches, less than some low-cost airlines.
The good news is, Oasis includes faster ViaSat WiFi, so at least passengers will have virtual headroom.
Photo by Praytino via Flickr