Why does Eva Air use the 747 for short flights?

Question

One of my friends went from LAX to TPE, then from TPE to Hong Kong. He flew Eva Air..he said they used the 747 from lax to taiwan, then another 747 from taiwan to hong kong. why would Eva Air fly such a big plane meant for long haul flights between taiwan and hong kong...thats only an hour flight?

Answer 1

I actually flew EVA from LAX to TPE and then onto Hong Kong.  It is true that they use the 747-400 on those routes.  (On the way to Hong Kong we actually used an MD-11 but from Hong Kong to Taipei, we used a 747-400).  This was in 1997.

There are a few reasons for this.  One reason is that there is enough demand that EVA can justify using that type of aircraft.  The other reason is that EVA does not operate a lot of flights between Taipei and Hong Kong each day.  When I flew with them, they only had 2 flights a day.  Cathay Pacific and China Airlines operate more flights per day between the 2 cities and can justify using a smaller aircraft.  Because many people like EVA but the airline only flies 2 flights a day, then they have to use an aircraft that can hold more passengers.

Answer 2

The 747's that Eva Air uses on this route are 747-400 Combis. These are mixed passenger/cargo configurations that have 96 fewer passenger seats than their standard all-passenger 747-400's.

In short, the demand for both passengers and cargo is sufficient to justify using a large aircraft. That's not unusual in Asia where many medium and short routes have high enough passenger demand to justify using large aircraft. Japan Airlines uses 777-300's, which are comparable to a 747 in passenger capacity, on the Tokyo-Osaka route. They actually used 747's for many years.

Answer 3

probably because there is enough traffic to warrant it!  Thai flies 747 and 777 between Bangkok & Phuket, something like an hour's flight, and they get full!

Answer 4

The 747 is intended for large loads, no matter what the length of the flight. It can fly very short flights just as easily as very long flights.

On short routes that have a lot of traffic, some airlines prefer to use 747s, especially in Asia. If they can fill the aircraft, it's very economical to operate.

At one time, 747s were widely used for domestic service in the United States, too.  In those days, airlines had a few flights on a given route each day, and so bigger airplanes made it easier to handle the traffic. Today, American airlines seem to prefer a very large number of flights on a route with very small aircraft (such as 737s); their belief is that people are interested in having frequent flights.  That's the only reason you don't see 747s domestically today. The aircraft are certainly capable of handling short routes.

Answer 5

Because they've got them, and they can fill them. There's no reason not to use a big plane for short hauls