Airline Mogul Forum
Airline Mogul => Game Strategy => Topic started by: pilotguy121a on January 31, 2011, 05:37:00 pm
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Hello all. I'm always mystified when I see the A vs. B discussions on which airliner is "better" and everyone always seems to say Airbus is. Which, on the surface against Boeing, in an early to late 1990s game seems to be true. However, we all overlook the MD-90s, specifically the MD-90-55. Just take a look:
MD-90-55 Specs
Seats: 187
Speed: 437 kts
Range: 3107 nm
Fuel Usage: 784.00
Price: € 67,534,340
A320-200 Specs(IAE engines)
Seats: 179
Speed: 469 kts
Range: 3527 nm
Fuel Usage: 796.00
Price: € 72,398,208
Boeing 737-400 (closes competitor)
Seats:159
Speed: 439 kts
Range: 2486 nm
Fuel Usage: 944.00
Price: € 64,064,567
I mean, for the money, the MD-90-55 is a much better choice over the A320. Less fuel usage, more people, similar range, similar speed, less cost=less mx. So, why is it that I hardly see people use it? BTW: I'm my world is currently in 1995.
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MD90 is slow the differnce 30 nm one hour makes in one day 720 nm, that is one route in Europe or North America.
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Yeah, but mx is less, initial price is less, and fuel cost is less.
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My airline is only getting A320's because they can operate 2x daily to the west coast while MD-90 1.5. Plus it costs more which means greater airline value. Those numbers are very compelling for me not to switch to an A320 fleet though but I'm sticking to it because the A319 is very profitable and I want cockpit commonality in my airline.
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Im one of those players that does buy the MD90 over the A320 :)
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Yeah, but mx is less, initial price is less, and fuel cost is less.
Not you will need more MDs for covering all routes. 5 A320 can make due more speed same routes as 6 MDs
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I'm not really debating that the plane is faster, I accept that as another reason the A320 would be chosen. But is it the only reason?
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Yeah, but mx is less, initial price is less, and fuel cost is less.
Not you will need more MDs for covering all routes. 5 A320 can make due more speed same routes as 6 MDs
Thats assuming your using them for longer range flying.
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I used over 300 of the MD-90-55, until the 738 came out. I make surprisingly more with the 738 than either the A320 or the MD-90-55. Of course, the MD-90-55 isn't a real aircraft but take that at face value. Everyone also knows the 738 can hold more seats than the current 184 AM has it at, but usually it seems these online games are based in Europe and are a tad biased towards Airbii aircraft. But that's ok, I'll soldier through with good old Boeing illegally subsidized aircraft. ;)
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but usually it seems these online games are based in Europe and are a tad biased towards Airbii aircraft.
Which is nonsense. The game is not biased towards any nationality, region or manufacturer, it is an international game. The numbers are however wrong, especially for the A32X and 737. Something that needs to be fixed.
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Usually it seems these online games are based in Europe and are a tad biased towards Airbii aircraft. But that's ok, I'll soldier through with good old Boeing illegally subsidized aircraft. ;)
Its more a case of thats how our generic formula represents data. No intentional bias. :)
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I guess my question is, why is the MD90-55 even in the game if it was never built, given that the game won't put any "future" planes (787s, A350s) because we don't know what the final operating specs of those planes will be?
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I guess my question is, why is the MD90-55 even in the game if it was never built, given that the game won't put any "future" planes (787s, A350s) because we don't know what the final operating specs of those planes will be?
It was available for sale. Nobody bought it, but it was still offered, and designed. The specs were well known. It was just never built.
The Dornier 728 is also available, as well as a proposed stretch, the Do 928, and the shrink, the Do 528. Also the Do-328 stretch i believe.
As for the 787 and A350, well, they haven't even entered service yet. The A350 only exists on paper, and Airbus can't even say exactly how many passengers can be carried.
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There are some strange elements to the types of planes available to buy (Dornier for example) and the lack of the B787, A350, B748. Infact the game only goes as far as 2009 and after that it stops. That is only a minor change.
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I guess my question is, why is the MD90-55 even in the game if it was never built, given that the game won't put any "future" planes (787s, A350s) because we don't know what the final operating specs of those planes will be?
It was available for sale. Nobody bought it, but it was still offered, and designed. The specs were well known. It was just never built.
The Dornier 728 is also available, as well as a proposed stretch, the Do 928, and the shrink, the Do 528. Also the Do-328 stretch i believe.
As for the 787 and A350, well, they haven't even entered service yet. The A350 only exists on paper, and Airbus can't even say exactly how many passengers can be carried.
The 787 and A350 are just as "defined" as the MD90-50 ever was. Probably more so, since they have signed contracts with airlines to deliver airplanes to a certain spec. Some of these other planes were never more than paper planes,
I'll accept StephenM's explanation on the 787/A350 that the game ends in 2009, and those planes haven't entered service yet (but, by that standard, the MD-90-50, and the Do728, among others, haven't entered service yet either...).
It's not a big issue that's really bugging me or anything, but just something I found a bit odd. I mean, if we're going to have proposed airplane variants that nobody ever bought, you could have the 747-500 and -600 from the mid 1990s, the 767-400ERX from around 2000, and the specs for those planes would be just as valid as the specs for any other plane that wasn't built.
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There is also the 'player' factor here. Many of the players are young enough they do not remember McD as an active player in the commercial aviation world. They also don't see the airlines they idolize or want to emulate using McD aircraft. Other than a few airlines using them in Europe, American(who probably suffers more bad press than any airline really deserves), Northwest and Delta. There simply isn't a significant example for fans to want to model.
How many McD aircraft are being operated in the Austra-Asian environment at this time? The game's sizable fan base in these areas would have a smaller experience base with McD aircraft.
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There is also the 'player' factor here. Many of the players are young enough they do not remember McD as an active player in the commercial aviation world. They also don't see the airlines they idolize or want to emulate using McD aircraft. Other than a few airlines using them in Europe, American(who probably suffers more bad press than any airline really deserves), Northwest and Delta. There simply isn't a significant example for fans to want to model.
How many McD aircraft are being operated in the Austra-Asian environment at this time? The game's sizable fan base in these areas would have a smaller experience base with McD aircraft.
In Europe i can think of only SAS, Alitalia, Spanair and Meridiana, and a handful of small regional carriers operate the MD-80. I believe Iberia has phased out theirs. Blue1 (SAS) operates the 717. KLM operates the MD-11.
In the US American, Delta and Allegiant all operate MD-80s, while Delta also has the DC-9 and MD-90. FedEx and UPS both have tons of MD-11s and MD-10s.
In Asia? The Asian boom only started after McD was in the mud, so almost none have been sold. There was the infamous trunkliner program to build MD-90s in China, but Delta has bought most of them. A handful of MD-80s operate with the six Chinese majors, and a scattering of LCCs and small airlines all around Asia, with most being phased out. Biman Bangladesh still has a few DC-10s, but they will be gone when the next few 777s arrive. JAL has 16 MD-90s.
In South America there are still a few left in Argentina, but thats about it. At least no major airlines operate them, apart from Avianca and Austral/Aerolinas Argentinas, but they are both phasing them out.
In Africa. Many all around with blacklists and other nasty surprises hanging on them. Also quite a few in South Africa, which should be safe enough.
Middle East: Saudi Arabian has/had 30 MD-90s. Being phased out. A scattering of DC-10F and MD-11s (no passenger bird though) all around.
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There is also the 'player' factor here. Many of the players are young enough they do not remember McD as an active player in the commercial aviation world. They also don't see the airlines they idolize or want to emulate using McD aircraft. Other than a few airlines using them in Europe, American(who probably suffers more bad press than any airline really deserves), Northwest and Delta. There simply isn't a significant example for fans to want to model.
How many McD aircraft are being operated in the Austra-Asian environment at this time? The game's sizable fan base in these areas would have a smaller experience base with McD aircraft.
In the asian market not many, I know EVA operates 6 MD90s and 8 MD11Fs, there is an Indonesian airline that operates a few MD80s. Japan Airlines still has 16 MD90s and they operated DC10s and MD11s into the 2000s. FedEx of course operates MD11Fs to asia so does Shanghi Airlines Cargo. So there are some just not in high numbers like in the States.
As for my reasons for using McD products I guess it does come to idolizing a particular airlines in my case its Alaska, Delta and Northwest.
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The 717s were (and some still are) used by Qantas/Jetstar in Australia too.
I often use MD-80/90 aircraft because they seem to provide a good compromise of price and specs for most of my airlines, often in conjunction with something around 100-120 seats and something around 210-220.