Pilots please answer?

Question

Which aircraft type would be most advantageous for a LCC? I understand it is most probably between A320 family and the 737 family. Which is more efficient for short haul, flights?

I would appreciate any type of description on the characteristics of both planes.

If i was to start a LCC or ULCC like Spirit, domestically, which aircraft should I use?

Thank You.

How do you start an airline?

Answer 1

I do believe Coffee has the best answer very detailed. FAA is the biggest hurdle, then money, millions of dollars and more money, insurance.

It is a big endeaver, but dreams are made to chase, and America was built on dreams.

Go back and research Hughes, Boeing, PanAm, and a few other airlines, and see what made them and broke them.

Answer 2

Far cheaper to buy an existing airline that is having money trouble.

Answer 3

You might want to price the required insurance.

Answer 4

Hypothetically or for real?

For real - if you have to ask how to start an airline, you have no chance of doing it.  That's not a task that anybody can even begin to take on without an extensive business and aviation background.  There's no way to even scratch the surface through a simple answer on an internet forum.

Hypothetically, you start by surrounding yourself with lots of extremely experienced people.  This isn't something that anybody can fumble through.  You develop a business plan that a bank will approve - plan on $100 million to start.  That may be enough to cover one plane, certification costs, and salary for a skeleton crew that has the experience to get through certification successfully.

The Department of Transportation must buy off on the need and feasibility for another competitor in the market, based on business plan and route structure.  Then the real fun begins.

Write manuals.  About 15,000 pages worth.  Every single regulation in FAR 119 and 121 need to be complied with in the manual system.  The FAA must approve the manuals, page by page.

The FAA will scrutinize the manuals and run you through many simulated scenarios to make sure your manuals address any possible issue that can ever come up and that the manuals are consistent throughout all of their pages.

The aircraft records will then be scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb.

Training, training, training, training, and more training.  Pilots, flight attendants, maintenance personnel, ramp personnel, gate agents, anybody on the payroll.  They will all need to be a part of the proving runs.

Operate several hours on a typical route structure (non-revenue, no paying passengers).  The FAA will watch your every move and run you through more simulations.  They will watch how every employee performs and if it is in accordance with the manuals.  You will also have to perform an emergency evacuation drill with a plane full of "passengers".

If all goes well, you have probably exhausted every last bit of the $100 million, and will have to go borrow more to start operations.  Keep in mind you only have one plane at this point.

That's a quick summary of the big steps.  I left out all of the details.

As for the airplane, I think the acquisition cost is a bigger issue than operating cost between the A320 and 737 families.  Airbus has been more successful selling new planes because the European governments have given the company so many tax shelters and subsidies, they can afford to practically give the planes away compared to Boeing.  Operating costs are not significantly different between those planes.

If you are talking about an ULCC airline, I think the Embraer 170/180/190 family might be a better bet for keeping acquisition and operating costs to a minimum if you are talking about purchasing a new airplane.  Used: whatever you can get your hands on.

Not to be rude, but please realize that I'm just humoring you for the sake of conversation.  I honestly think this is a completely  far-fetched question... but I gave you the benefit of the doubt and answered in case you are just asking out of mere curiosity.