The Perceived Needs of the Short-Haul Air Carrier

This presentation examines four different airplane fleets from the standpoint of the 1980 needs of regional short-haul air carriers in balancing passenger satisfaction, operating economy, and good community relations for replacement of their present turboprop equipment.

The four different fleet mixes examined are:

• All-100-seat fanjets
• 100-seat fanjets plus 70-seat fanjets
• 100-seat fanjets plus 50-seat fanjets
• 100-seat fanjets plus 50-seat quiet turboprop STOL aircraft

The authors believe that a fleet of 100-seat fanjet and 50-seat turboprop aircraft would best meet the perceived needs of a short-haul carrier in serving a typical turboprop network, for the following major reasons:

• Provide better service with more daily departures than the fleet with 70-seat and 100-seat aircraft.
• Save substantial amounts of fuel annually compared with the next most fuel-economic fleet mix.
• Save significantly on airplane-associated operating costs over the most economical alternative fleet mix.
• Reduce the noise exposure at small-city airports compared with the next quietest alternative and with the existing service.