<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hawaiian</span></p><p class="caption">A rendering of Hawaiian Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/hawaiian-airlines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hawaiian Airlines</a> announced an order for 10 <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/boeing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing</a> 787-9 Dreamliners while canceling an existing order for six <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/airbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Airbus</a> A330-800neos.</strong></li><li><strong>The Dreamliner was selected after an intense sales competition between Airbus and <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/ba-stock">Boeing</a>.</strong></li><li><strong>In an interview with Business Insider, <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/ha-stock">Hawaiian Airlines</a> CEO Peter Ingram explained why his company decided to abandon its long-standing Airbus order and go with Boeing. </strong></li></ul><p>On March 6, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hawaiian-airlines-buys-boeing-787-dreamliner-cancels-airbus-order-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hawaiian Airlines announced its decision to order 10 Boeing 787-9</a> Dreamliners with a list price of $2.82 billion. It was also the first major move the airline had made since Peter Ingram took over as president and CEO less than a week earlier.</p><p>Ingram previously served as Hawaiian's chief commercial officer under <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hawaiian-airlines-ceo-says-asia-growth-opportunity-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former CEO Mark Dunkerley</a>, who retired this month.</p><p>For Boeing, the announcement proved to be a double shot of good news. </p><p>At the same time as the Dreamliner announcement, Hawaiian also confirmed that it had canceled an order for six Airbus A330-800neos. It was the only six orders Airbus had for the aircraft type.</p><p>Hawaiian's decision to go with Boeing is the culmination of an intense and protracted sales competition between the 787-9 and the Airbus A330-900neo.  As a result, Hawaiian is believed to have received a very substantial discount off the list price. </p><p>"Both airplanes are terrific and both had pros and cons," Ingram told Business Insider in a recent interview. "Ultimately, we came to a conclusion after a disciplined and detailed process that the 787-9 is the right airplane for us."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Airbus</span></p><p class="caption">A rendering of Hawaiian's cancelled Airbus A330-800neo.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Hawaiian's decision to go with Boeing surprised some people. Over the past few years, Airbus had been on a roll with the Honolulu-based carrier. Hawaiian is replacing its Boeing 767-300s with smaller and much more efficient Airbus A321neos. More significantly, the airline's current flagship is its fleet of two dozen Airbus A330-200s. </p><p>Since the A330neo is simply an updated version of the A330 Hawaiian already has in service, it would make perfect sense to simply upgrade to the newer model of the plane it already has. </p><p>In fact, Ingram called the A330neo order "a natural extension" for the airline. </p><p>So how did Boeing manage to pull off the win?</p><p>The story goes all the way back to <a href="http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2008/02/hawaiian-airlines-signs-firm-order-for-12-airbus-widebodies-contract-includes-six-a350-xwbs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2008, when Hawaiian placed an order with Airbus</a> that included six next-generation A350-800 jets.</p><p>With room for about 280 people, the Dash 800 is the smallest member of the A350XWB family of carbon-composite wide-body jets. Even though the European airplane maker was able to find plenty of buyers for the plane, the company decided to effectively give up on it in favor of developing the A330neo. (Neo stands for new engine option.) The neo would also be available in two sizes: the smaller A330-800 and the larger A330-900.  </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hawaiian Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram.</p></div><p></p></div></div>As a result, in 2014, <a href="http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2014/07/hawaiian-airlines-to-order-six-a330-800neo-aircraft.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hawaiian switched its order from the A350-800 to the A330-800</a>. </p><p>However, Hawaiian proved to be the only airline to go with the A330-800, and that made Ingram and his team uncomfortable with the situation. </p><p>"Unfortunately, the A330-800 has not proved to be as popular in the marketplace," Ingram said. "But for us, it doesn't make sense to remain committed to an airplane that had the risk of not being sufficiently accepted in the marketplace in the future."</p><p>He continued: "So the lack of orders for the A330-800 opened us up to having a competition to look at the wide-body platform for us going into the decade."</p><p>The lack of industry acceptance creates all kinds of complications for airlines in terms of maintenance, service, and resale value.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Hawaiian Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">Hawaiian's current flagship Airbus A330-200.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Ingram went on to further explain his rationale. Even though Hawaiian purchases aircraft with plans to fly it for its entire service lift, the airline CEO also goes into it with the understanding that his company needs to remain nimble if the industry changes. </p><p>"From a risk management perspective, it's always prudent for us to consider what happens in the future if something affects the economics (of the business) and we need to make a change," he said. "The fact that there are no other customers for that particular variant at this time put us in the position where, if we continued with the order, we would have very few options if we need to make a change."</p><p>In short, Hawaiian didn't want to be stuck with a plane no one else wanted. </p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Boeing stock price <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/BA-Quote">here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dropbox-ceo-drew-houston-on-rejecting-steve-jobs-offer-2018-3">How one CEO went from rejecting an offer from Steve Jobs to an $11 billion IPO</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Airline CEO explains why Airbus lost a major order to Boeing

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/airlines470/16945663197/in/photolist-jGwPhV-rPqXhR-skxyrA-jGwybT-rygs2k-jGy2Ds-jGwrde-jzDYrB-fqWYeJ-oc5DQV-sTMBU6-sTN3np-q7VeHv-pTKKJj-qcHRTb-mn5nRq-h2pe13-pq98Rf">Flickr/Eric Salard</a></span></p><p class="caption">Norwegian Air Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Norwegian Air is making waves in the airline industry.</p><p>Recently, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/norwegian-air-boeing-737-max-sell-69-dollar-tickets-europe-2016-9" target="_blank">Norwegian Air chief commercial officer Thomas Ramdahl told Business Insider in an interview</a> his airline plans to launch $69 fares on trans-Atlantic flights starting next year.</p><p>As a long-time Boeing customer, Norwegian selected the new generation 737 MAX 8 to launch the new fare.</p><p>In fact, the airline, who currently operates a fleet made up exclusively of more than 100 Boeing jets, has 100 of the planes on order.</p><p>But there's more to this story.</p><p>Even though its has a range of about 4,000 miles, there are routes where Norwegian will need greater range than the 737MAX can deliver, but won't require the services of a pricey wide-body jet.</p><p>In other words, Norwegian is in need of a tweener.</p><p>Traditionally, those routes have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-757-airline-demand-la-compagnie-2016-5" target="_blank">been the domain of Boeing's 757</a>. However, Boeing discontinued the controversial plane in 2004 and still does not have an aircraft capable of matching its capabilities. Although Boeing did tell Business Insider that it is currently studying the possibility of a 757 replacement.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Airbus</span></p><p class="caption">Airbus A321neo LR.</p></div><p></p></div></div>That's where the 30 A321neo LR jets Norwegian ordered from Boeing's arch rival Airbus comes into play.</p><p>"From the figures I've seen so far, the A321neo LR will have longer range than the MAX, so that gives us opportunities in smaller cities where frequency is more important having a large wide-body jet," Ramdahl said.</p><p>While some airlines are holding onto its aging fleets of 757s, Norwegian seems to believe that it may have found a worthy successor for the long-serving jet.</p><p>"It's difficult to say yes or no, but I think so," Ramdahl told us when asked if the A321neo LR is a true replacement for the 757. "It's interesting to see if Boeing is coming up with a replacement for the 757 as well, because they'll need to if the LR does what Airbus is saying it will do."</p><p>In fact, Ramdahl told us that the A321neo offers 10% to 15% lower costs per seat than a wide-body jet.</p><p>Based on Airbus' projected range of more than 4,600 miles, the A321neo LR should be able to match or beat the 757's range, the Norwegian executive told Business Insider. In addition, Norwegian Air's A321's are expected to be equipped with 220 to 230 seats - which is on par with the capacity of the 757-200. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>La Compagnie</span></p><p class="caption">La Compagnie Boeing 757-200.</p></div><p></p></div></div>This is potentially distressing news for Boeing.</p><p>Even though the segment traditionally occupied by the 757 is not as large as the 737s or as profitable as the large wide-bodies, there is still plenty of demand for airplanes of its type. With the Boeing answer to the LR - the 737 MAX 9 - being old-sold 5-1, it looks like Airbus is the only one with a truly competitive product on offer in the segment.</p><p>And if a major, long-time customer just as Norwegian is willing to defect, then it certainly stacks the deck against Boeing when it comes to conquest customers.</p><p>The 737 MAX jets features new fuel-efficient CFM LEAP-1B engines, upgraded avionics, and aerodynamics. It's one of the most advanced and efficient airliners in the world. The A321neo LR also feature upgraded avionics and aerodynamics, but is equipped by a more powerful CFM LEAP-1A engine.</p><p>However, Boeing is not in a position to simply bolt on larger engines to match the A321neo LR's range <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-cfm-leap-engine-2016-6" target="_blank">because there is a direct correlation between the diameter of a turbofan engine's fan</a> blades and the amount of thrust the engine can produce. For example, the more powerful 1A engine's fan blades have a diameter of 78 inches - nine more than the 1B.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p><p class="caption">Norwegian Boeing 737 MAX 8.</p></div><p></p></div></div>An upgrade to a larger engine will likely involve a redesign of the 737's landing gear. That's because the 737 was designed in the 1960s to be powered by Pratt &amp; Whitney's JT8D engine with a much more compact fan diameter of 49 inches.</p><p>Since then, Boeing has been bolting on larger and larger engines on the 737, but the under-wing space has not changed. The 737 has essentially maxed out on the engine size that can fit under its wings. As a result, Boeing will have to raise and relocate the plane's landing gear.</p><p>This means that regardless of whether it decides to modify the 737 or build a new plane from scratch, it'll be a move that will likely cost billions.</p><p>Norwegian expects to take delivery of its 737 MAX 8 in 2017 with the first A321neo LR expected in 2019.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/safest-airlines-world-airline-ratings-2016-5">These are the safest airlines in the world</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="JkN2FyMzE68AvWTrE7iMlqM45Zva-nzH" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

One of Boeing's most important customers just said something very troubling

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>David Slotnick/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>While most flights within North America are operated by narrow-body aircraft - except for major flagship routes like New York to Los Angeles or New York to Miami - there's one flight a day between New York and Mexico City flown by a modern 787 Dreamliner.</li><li>Aeromexico - which operates a joint venture with Delta - has one flight a day with the new, luxurious plane.</li><li>The airline says it uses the Dreamliner to offer a premium experience on the important route, and to increase capacity.</li><li>I flew in business class on the route to see what it was like.</li></ul><p>Joint ventures are a popular way for airlines to work together beyond the typical practices enabled by airline alliances and codeshares.</p><p>These partnerships allow separate carriers, which would otherwise compete on certain routes, to coordinate schedules, pricing, and equipment. The airlines in the venture can grab a corner of the market, and together offer stronger competition against third-party competitors. Unlike other partnerships like alliances, joint ventures are immune from anti-trust regulations.</p><p>In addition to trans-oceanic joint ventures - like American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-british-airways-comparison-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over the Atlantic</a> - plenty of these agreements exist between airlines from neighboring countries.</p><p>Looking towards the south, Delta and AeroMexico have been operating a joint venture <a href="https://news.delta.com/delta-and-aeromexico-launch-joint-cooperation-agreement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since 2017</a>, strengthening the pre-existing relationship the airlines already had as founding members of the SkyTeam alliance.</p><p>With dozens of flights each day between the US and Mexico on both carriers, the partnership means that it's possible for passengers to book an itinerary throughout both airlines' route networks, opening a wide range of destinations and connections.</p><h2>The on-board experience</h2><p>Despite booking between the two airlines being seamless, your actual experience can vary dramatically - much more so than on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-british-airways-comparison-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Airlines compared to British Airways across the Atlantic</a>, another joint venture.</p><p>For example, AeroMexico serves full meals on most of its flights between the US and Mexico, while Delta only offers snacks and purchasable options in coach.</p><p>If you fly the busy New York-Mexico City route, the other big difference you may spot is the type of aircraft you fly.</p><p>Delta's operations to Mexico, and most of AeroMexico to the US, are operated by narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 737 aircraft, the venerable short- and medium-haul workhorse.</p><p>However, Aeromexico elects to operate one flight a day between New York City and Mexico City with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the modern, long-haul, wide-body plane usually used for intercontinental flights.</p><p>Aeromexico has a total of 17 Dreamliners in its fleet, according to <a href="https://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Aeromexico.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Airfleets.net</a> - both 787-8s and larger 787-9s. </p><p>While it uses most of those Dreamliners on flights to Europe, Asia, and to farther-away destinations in South America, it reserves one for the daily New York flight. </p><p>Although the 787-9 - with its range of more than 9,000 miles, might be a bit overkill for the approximately 2,100 mile flight between the two cities, Aeromexico says it has compelling reasons to use the plane.</p><p>"We wanted to offer a premium experience to our passengers, in one of our most demanding routes, and also to provide a seat capacity increase" said Emilio Diaz, a spokesman for Aeromexico. </p><p>Recently, I had the opportunity to fly Aeromexico's 787-9 from JFK to Mexico City, the first segment in a trip to Santiago, Chile. My wife and I took advantage of an incredible business class sale last fall, which let us snag seats in the front cabin for around the normal price of coach on that route. We continued from Santiago to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-easter-island-hotels-accommodations-explora-rapa-nui-review-2018-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Easter Island</a>, but the connection in Mexico City offered a great opportunity to see what Aeromexico's JFK Dreamliner service was like.</p>

I flew business class on the only Dreamliner route between the US and Mexico - here's what it was like

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kestrel Aviation Management</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 787-8 BBJ.</p></div><p></p></div></div>In July, China's HNA Aviation Group will welcome a shiny new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to its fleet. </p><p>This plane is special because it is the first 787 Dreamliner to be built purely as a private jet.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-787-dreamliner-private-jet-kestrel-2016-6" target="_blank">HNA's new Dreamliner </a> is symbolic of a hot new trend in private and corporate aviation - long-range, mid-size, wide-body airliners.</p><p>"It's an emerging market that didn't really exist in the past," Kestrel Aviation Management CEO Stephen Vella told Business Insider. Kestrel oversaw the design, engineering, and fabrication of HNA's new Dreamliner which has an estimated total cost topping $300 million.</p><p>Airbus and Boeing have long offered versions of its airliners to private customers under their Airbus Corporate Jet and Boeing Business Jet programs. However, buyers of these airliner-based private jets have long gravitated to either four-engine, jumbo jets like the Boeing 747 or smaller, narrow-body jets such as the Airbus A320.</p><p>"The market is traditionally separated into two buckets," Vella said. "The big Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s primarily catered to heads of state while the smaller Airbus A320 and Boeing 737s are popular corporate runabouts as well as secondary planes in government fleets."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kestrel Aviation Management</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 787-8 BBJ interior.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Although twin-engine, mid-size, wide-body jets such as the Boeing 767 and the Airbus A330 have long been available, they never quite caught on with the private jet crowd.</p><p>However, in recently years, ultra high-end private jet customers have become increasingly interested in the new generation mid-size, wide-body planes such as the Dreamliner and Airbus A350.</p><h3><strong>What's changed?</strong></h3><p>According to Vella, several factors led to the shift. </p><p>First, leading business men and heads of state are generally pressed for time. As a result, they prefer be to able to fly anywhere they need to go non-stop. Until recently, this simply wasn't possible in a twin-engined jet. The traditional thinking in the aviation dictates that there's safety in the number of engines a plane has.</p><p>Regulating bodies such as the US Federal Aviation Administration have even placed limits on which ultra-long-range intercontinental routes twin-engine jets can fly. As a result, government and corporate clients looking for a plane which the range and capability to go anywhere in the world had to turn to four-engined jumbos.</p><p>However, with the incredible reliability of modern turbofan engines, the regulatory limitations on twin-engined jets have essentially been wiped out. Now, planes such as the A350 and the 787 can fly anywhere the owner requires, but in a slightly smaller and more affordable package. For instance, HNA's new state-of-the-art composite Boeing has a range of 9,800 miles even when packed with passengers, luggage, and fuel. A similarly outfitted A350 ACJ will be able to delivery that type performance as well. </p><p>"You can fly between virtually any two points on the globe," Vella said of the Dreamliner.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Jason Le</span></p><p class="caption">Japanese government Boeing 747-400.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Secondly, the price of crude oil has fallen dramatically over the past two years. Even though cheaper fuel makes buying and operating a thirsty, four-engined, jumbo jet much more attractive, low crude prices have also cut dramatically into the income of Middle Eastern governments. Unfortunately for the 747 BBJ, they are also some of the plane's biggest customers.</p><p>According to Vella, all major Middle Eastern governments such as Saudi Arabia, operate large royal fleets, many of which are jumbo jets, for elite members of the ruling family and officials to use.</p><p>Over the next decade or so, these fleets with need to be updated. Vella, whose company has bought and sold more than $50 billion worth of commercial and private jets, believes the Middle Eastern clientele are ready to do some belt-tightening and downsize to smaller planes.</p><p>Finally, another factor that has benefited the Dreamliner-sized jet is the increasing public sensitivity towards political largess. Unlike the US, where the plane that operates as Air Force One is held in high esteem and seen as a symbol of national power, the public in many countries view a large presidential aircraft as a sign of political over indulgence.</p><p>According to Vella, this is a particularly sensitive issue in Europe. However, a smaller aircraft with the performance capabilities of a jumbo, but in a less attention-getting package is a reasonable alternative.</p><p>"The mid-size jets have less ramp presence," Vella said. "They offer the owner much more discretion."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kestrel Aviation Management</span></p><p class="caption">Kestrel CEO Stephen Vella inside the Boeing 787-8 BBJ.</p></div><p></p></div></div>After all, it's hard to arrive discretely in a jumbo jet no matter where you go. Even at the world's busiest international airports, an aircraft the size of a 747 or Airbus A380 is conspicuous.</p><p>But all of this requires some perspective. Even the "smaller" 787 BBJ is still an absolutely massive aircraft. At 186 ft. long, even <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-boeing-757-airliner-trump-force-one-2016-6" target="_blank">Donald Trump's converted Boeing 757 </a>is dwarfed by the new Dreamliner. And with 2,400 sq. ft. of living space, it offers the same amount of room as an average American suburban home.</p><h3><strong>What's coming</strong></h3><p>According to the long-time aviation executive, over the next 15-20 years, demand from just the Middle East for Boeing 787-sized private jets will top 30 aircraft. That may not sound like many planes, but at more than $300 million a pop, that's about $10 billion in business from just a handful of customers.</p><p>In fact, Vella believes demand from East Asia will be just as intense over that period of time.</p><p>"Because of the high number of long distance and (trans-oceanic) flights the customers make, these are the perfect planes for Asia," Vella added.</p><p>Whether the market for these mid-size, twin-engine wide-body private jets actually skyrockets remain to be seen. But with the unprecedented level of advanced technology, luxury, and performance it can offer, they are an undeniably attractive option for the right buyer.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-time-rent-apartment-us-cities-renthop-2016-6">The best and worst months to rent an apartment in major US cities</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="43ankyNDE66UsoZpyT_zFFRF7ttuSOdY" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

This $300 million airliner is the hottest new trend in private jets

<p class="source"><span>Flickr/ Austrian Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">Austrian Airlines economy class.</p>The middle seat - especially in coach - is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-harder-to-avoid-middle-seat-2016-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one of the most dreaded and common scenarios</a> in flying.<p>It's cramped, it's inconvenient, and it's often the only seats available on flights - particularly if you book at the last minute.</p><p>In the past, an easy way to ensure you get an aisle or window seat is to book the flight early.</p><p>However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-harder-to-avoid-middle-seat-2016-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">airlines have figured out that their customers have an almost universal hatred for the middle seat</a>.</p><p>Not only that, airlines have come to realize that many are actually willing to pay to avoid it.</p><p>For instance, Delta's cheapest tickets these days fall under its Basic Economy class which only allow passengers to select their seats after checking in - at which point the window and aisle seats are likely to be already gone.</p><p>This means passengers will have to buy more expensive main cabin tickets in order to select seats at the time of booking.</p><p>On the other hand, Southwest - which doesn't assign seats - charges passengers $15 for the privilege of boarding early.</p><p class="source"><span>LM Otero/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Southwest Airlines doesn't assign seats.</p>Although it is impossible to completely rule out the possibility of ending up in the middle seat, there are several ways to avoid it without having to pony up extra dough.<p>First, in spite of the revenue generating fees airlines have come up with, booking early is still the best way to ensure you don't end up sandwiched in the middle. In addition to an increased likelihood of getting an aisle or window seats, booking early will also net you cheaper ticket prices.</p><p>According to a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/expedia-heres-when-you-should-buy-plane-tickets-2014-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study by Expedia</a>, the average price of tickets are its lowest 57 days ahead of the flight. Further, the study also showed that those buying tickets more than three weeks in advance on flights within North America can expect to see savings of roughly 43-56%.</p><p>In fact, savings from cheaper tickets prices may allow you to "splurge" on the fees for aisle or window seats.</p><a class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57168a7391058422008bd9e8-960/k65079.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 737 with six-abreast seating.</p>Second, the plane used to operate the flight makes a big difference as well. These days, the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 along with their many derivatives dominate the short-to-medium-range market. Both aircraft are generally configured with six-abreast seating or six seats per row with two sections of three seats divided by a single aisle. This results in two middle seats per row.<p>However, there are ways to reduce the likelihood of ending up in the middle seat by taking flights using planes with fewer or no middle seats on board.</p><p>Instead of the 737 and A320, look for flights operated by Bombardier C-Series, McDonnell Douglas MD80 series, MD90, and Boeing 717-200 jets. These aircraft feature five-abreast seating in a 3-2 configuration - meaning there is only one middle seat per row.</p><p>In the US, the MD and 717 aircraft are mostly operated by Delta, American, and Allegiant. However, many of these aircraft are aging and their operators are working quickly to replace them with planes that are newer and have more seats. American is in the process of replacing its MD80 or Super80 aircraft with new Boeing 737s. At the same time, Delta is beginning to retire older MD88s in favor of new Airbus A321s. With that said, Delta's fleet currently features more than 270 MD88, MD90, and 717 jets. Which means they'll be around well into the next decade. </p><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aero_icarus/6301854860/in/photolist-aASDU1-aouBE8-aAPVNK-rrGRGE-7v6yys-dNh2Rq-aqSjt6-9ENsTQ-aWcRnH-aPGafT-p1SeMp-7uZSp6-em7Zo5-agztUi-97HcBt-dg5svK-agCkHw-7v1wNe-8HGwoG-7Avr6K-6N3PVQ-6zzBVS-7uZA7x-dvyL8s-7AzguW-8YQ5ya-bdcMiD-8DiCZs-dJyErW-8jLZzs-qraCmX-eYq2gy-97Ha7H-dJtajn-eesAy9-hHt4YZ-5ATRCo-jthzFn-dz4Drp-7v5jsA-4Ss61u-5AhzBX-aqSd76-em83J7-hHtAUf-ffaBCq-6PTeTx-bW187F-eesCM9-dtv52v">Flickr/Aero Icarus</a></span></p><p class="caption">Delta Air Lines MD88.</p>The Bombardier C-Series is brand new and just entered service with SWISS in July of 2016. Over the next few years, the Canadian jetliner will become a more common sight in airports around the world with Delta, Air Canada, SWISS, and Korean Air as its most well-known operators. <p>Another option is to take flights operated for the major airlines by regional carriers under names such as Delta Connection, United Express, and American Eagle. These flights are generally operated using regional jets or turboprop airliners.</p><p>Although they are smaller and more cramped, regional aircraft are generally setup in a 2-2 configuration which means there are no middle seats. For this, look for aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ, the Q400 turboprop as well as the Embraer ERJ.</p><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Delta Connection CRJ regional jet.</p>The Embraer E170 and E190 series is a good 'tweener option. Seating anywhere between 70 to 100 passengers, the E-Jet operates both as a regional airliner and with mainline carriers such as American, Air Canada, Polish LOT, and JetBlue. Like the smaller regional jets, the E-Jet is usually setup in a 2-2 configuration with no middle seats. With Embraer launching a second generation of the E-Jet, expect this to be an option for many years down the road. <p>Unfortunately for many flyers around the world, the narrow-body airliner fleet in Asia and Europe is a virtual duopoly split between the 737 and the A320-family. As a result, apart from encountering the odd C-Series, E-Jet or 717, passengers will have to fly on a regional jet to avoid six-abreast seating. </p><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wbaiv/4342579299/in/photolist-7BJRwT-dw64cU-qhbB4C-fts4Vw-j3Qw9w-673GWJ-ifXEZt-9Vs5Si-6EyYF8-6xVMDY-qhciy7-qwt19h-pBZ4Qv-5z9Wp5-6CDoQa-ENXY2-9VuVtm-5LKNVm-ifYxPo-ifY4EQ-6xVMZ1-2yFRY-apY4NS-28KDmK-e252y-ifZzas-pVAu9-et7TB7-57VGz5-ifZbCV-91bDmV-8nUPrE-9PxomL-5cYMEZ-6eh9mz-7v69nS-4cUpLm-6gwsVL-ze8mK-5rzios-6emhiA-fE4Asb-6u1FyT-dg51m9-8KZnt9-Bcf18-e9Uin-8vJL5x-6zHxCv-6gnGDt">Flickr/Bill Abbott</a></span></p><p class="caption">A JetBlue Embraer E-Jet.</p>Choosing a flight based on the airplane also works on long-haul international flights. These flights are commonly operated by wide-body, twin-aisle airliners such as the Boeing 777, 787, and Airbus A350 as well as the larger Boeing 747 jumbos and the Airbus A380 superjumbos.<p>These large jets are generally setup with nine or even 10-abreast seating in a 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 configuration with either three or four middle seats per row in coach.</p><p>For flyers looking to avoid middle seats on long haul flights, there are several types of aircraft they should hone in on.</p><p>First, Boeing's venerable twin-engine 767 wide-body is still around and can commonly be found with a 2-3-2 configuration. That means there's only one middle seat per row in coach. It should be noted, however, that many of the 767s are pushing 20 years of age and like the MD80/90, airlines are in the process of replacing them with newer models.</p><p class="source"><span>Airbus</span></p><p class="caption">Airbus A330neo future interior.</p>With the 767 on the way out, look for flights operated by the twin-engine Airbus A330 and its discontinued four-engined sibling, the A340. These airliners generally feature eight-abreast seating in a 2-4-2 configuration. As a result, the A330/A340 generally fly with only two middle seats per row in coach.<p>Fortunately, for flyers, the A330 one of the most popular wide-body airliners in the world with about 1,500 examples in operation and is still rolling off Airbus production lines. In fact, the company is currently selling a next generation version called the A330neo.</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/after-bumped-off-flight-heres-what-need-know-legally-department-transportation-fly-airplane-airline-2017-4">Here's what airlines legally owe you if you're bumped off a flight</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Here's how to avoid the most dreaded seat on a plane

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomasdelcoro/26025515986/in/photolist-FDMzbS-7wGUD6-9pwQUk-ib8fjM-dTijUX-VBo4XK-4pPnaj-axmf7m-7FU314-4f4AbS-7ysC1h-4NiP4f-dEL7f4-dpA5Jv-5aPqzf-CLupz-ibp2QK-i86B5s-8eAf99-94j9pk-7amFnz-jjCREy-dVx4LA-fHvpB3-knWsza-8tzYdm-fHv1Rm-dEyPqe-qLcZ9T-8sPTQG-JVvRcq-7FU1e8-8sLQoV-T5ceAY-rs4Gw-8sPUj7-izykPg-9PHUhZ-8sPT5o-HGvvy4-dEyPBn-5aK3jH-fHxrdL-4EkWX5-8sLRJB-8sLQE4-eConhB-e1uJk2-7FY3JS-7FU4nV">Flickr/Tomás Del Coro</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Delta Air Lines Boeing 717-200.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>The Boeing 717-200 went out of production in 2006.</strong></li><li><strong>Only 156 of the planes have been built.</strong></li><li><strong>A decade later, the airlines that operate the 717 want more of them.</strong></li></ul><p>On May 23, 2006, <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/BA-Quote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing</a> delivered the last two 717-200 jetliners to customers at its Long Beach, California factory. It marked to the end of a program filled with promise but that had ultimately failed to capture the interest of airlines. Even Boeing's well-oiled sales operation could only manage to muster up 156 orders for the little 100-seat, short-haul-airliner.</p><p>Currently, the 717 is operated primarily by four airlines; <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/dal-quote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta</a>, <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/HA-Quote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hawaiian</a>, <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/Qantas_Airways-Quote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Qantas</a>, and Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea. With 91 of the planes in its fleet, Delta is the by far the type's largest operator.</p><p>Incredibly, a decade after being axed from Boeing's lineup, airlines are scouring the planet looking for available Boeing 717s.</p><p>"These guys keep begging me to give them more 717s," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airbus-bombardier-c-series-deal-challenges-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dinesh Keskar, Boeing's senior vice president of sales for the Asia Pacific and India</a>, told Business Insider. "But that era over and it's not going to happen."</p><p>So how did a plane Boeing couldn't sell become an aircraft that airlines can't get enough of?</p><h2>The difficult life of the 717</h2><p>Well, there are several reasons, but first some background. Even though the 717 carries both the Boeing name and company's signature 7X7 naming scheme, it's not actually a Boeing. Rub on that Boeing logo with a brillo pad and some soapy water and you'll soon find the words McDonnell Douglas imprinted on the plane.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>In 1997, Boeing acquired its long-time rival McDonnell Douglas for $13 billion. At the time, McDonnell Douglas produced the MD-11 widebody and the MD-80/90 narrow-body. Soon after the merger, Boeing phased out all of MD's commercial airliners. But, it spared a new variant of the iconic DC-9 airliner called the MD-95 that was set to enter service in 1999. (The MD-80/90 were also variants of the DC-9.)</p><p>To make it fit better into the Boeing's portfolio of products, the MD-95 was rebranded the 717-200.</p><p>However, that wasn't enough to convince to convince airlines to buy in.</p><p>Even though it carried the Boeing name, it was still a plane designed and engineered by a different company with differing thinking and philosophies. Thus, the 717 was an orphan that didn't belong to any of Boeings product families.</p><p><span>"We have the 737MAX 7,-8,-9, and -10. We have a family," Keskar said. "You talk to others and they'll tell you that family has a lot of value."</span></p><p><span>For airlines, there's great financial incentive to have aircraft of varying sizes and roles being operated by the same crew and serviced by the same maintenance teams using the same spare parts. There's a whole of synergy there. </span></p><p><span>Even though the McDonnell Douglas DC-9/MD-80/MD-90 still served as the backbone of many major US airlines like American, Northwest, and Delta, none of the big boys would take the bate. In fact, when American acquired Trans World Airlines in 2001, it sold off all of its 717s. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Wikimedia Commons</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><span>During the turbulent days of the early 2000s, the airline industry was reeling from the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and spiking fuel prices. Which means many of the 717's potential customers were either in no financial position to buy any planes or were dumping its aging MD fleet in favor of more fuel-efficient planes like the Boeing 737NG or the Airbus A320.</span></p><p><span>Interestingly, the people who did buy the plane loves them.</span></p><p><span>"They're brilliant aircraft. Anyone who has them wants more of them," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/qantas-ceo-alan-joyce-on-the-dreamliner-versus-a380-c-series-safety-2017-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told Business Insider</a>. </span></p><p><span>And Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley echoed those sentiments.</span></p><p><span>"It's great little secret. For what we do here in Hawaii, there's no better aircraft built today or even on the drawing board."</span></p><p><span>Delta CEO Ed Bastian also praised the 717 for its durability and reliability during a recent interview with Business Insider. </span></p><h2><span>The rebirth of the 100-seat airliner<br /></span><span></span></h2><p><span>As with many things in life, what is old is new again. As the airline industry recovered, demand for air travel boomed while investors ratcheted up the pressure to lower unit costs. The solution; upgauging to bigger planes. </span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Qantas</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>As a result, Boeing and Airbus both neglected the 100-150 seat market in favor of bigger, pricier, and higher margin models. </span></p><p><span>While this was happening, another little phenomenon happened in the airline industry, the regional jet. During the 2000s, Bombardier's CRJ and Embraer ERJ made their presence felt in a big way by offering small 50-70 seat regional jets that allowed airlines and their regional partners to serve routes traditionally operated by turboprops with jets.</span></p><p><span>"Back in 2009 we had over 500 small aircraft," Bastian said. "The CRJ-200 was our predominant fleet type."</span></p><p><span>Over time, airlines began to upgauge their regional jets with mainline aircraft. That's where the 717 jumps back into the picture.</span></p><p><span>With around 100-130 seats, the 717 is the perfect size aircraft to take over for regional jets. In fact, <a href="http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/company/about_bca/startup/pdf/historical/717_passenger.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing used to market the 717 </a>as the "Full-size airplane for the regional market."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">A Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"The 717 is very much about how do we get out of the regional jets," Bastian said. "Customers hated the small regional jets, our employees hated them because they looked at it as an outsourcing of their jobs, and our [investors] hated them because they're fuel inefficient and their ownership costs were escalating."</span></p><p><span>"Even the regional operators didn't the like them cause they are losing money on it because we had the contracts screwed down pretty low," Bastian added. </span></p><p><span>With the addition of AirTran Airways' fleet of 88 717s following the low-cost carrier's acquisition by Southwest, Delta was able to drop 200 regional jets from its fleet.</span></p><p><span>Unfortunately, for Delta or anyone else looking to their hands on a batch of 717s, they are pretty hard to come by. Delta currently operates roughly 60% of all 717s ever made while Qantas and Hawaiian, the second and third largest operators, have no plans to relinquish their planes anytime soon. </span><span>And while Volotea's said that they will replace their 17 717s with Airbus A319s, there still aren't that many of the 100-seaters out there.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/redlegsfan21/15603611143/in/photolist-pLQzYk-hzHVcs-6h4Qbt-TAducF-7v6dvy-9bbvpv-e7Df7t-e88QZf-9pvj24-8xo4Nn-9BtWzM-2tbiUS-FDMzbS-7wGUD6-9pwQUk-ib8fjM-dTijUX-VBo4XK-4pPnaj-axmf7m-7FU314-4f4AbS-7ysC1h-4NiP4f-dEL7f4-dpA5Jv-5aPqzf-CLupz-ibp2QK-i86B5s-8eAf99-94j9pk-7amFnz-jjCREy-dVx4LA-fHvpB3-knWsza-8tzYdm-fHv1Rm-dEyPqe-qLcZ9T-8sPTQG-JVvRcq-7FU1e8-8sLQoV-T5ceAY-rs4Gw-8sPUj7-izykPg-9PHUhZ">Flickr/redlegsfan21</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Since discontinuing 717, Boeing has also stopped selling the smallest variant of the 737, the 737-600. As a result, the company has abandoned the 100-150 seat market. </span></p><p><span>That's where a plane like the Bombardier C Series, now under Airbus control, comes into the picture. The CS100 is of a similar size to the Boeing 717, but much greater range and fuel efficiency.</span></p><p><span>According to Bastian, Delta's long-term plan is to eventually replace the airline's older 717s with the 75 CS100 jets it has on order. </span></p><p>Two decades after it first flew, the Boeing 717-200 is still going strong. Even though Boeing didn't sell many of them, those that did buy the 717 can't get enough of them. That's a sign of a great plane.</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Boeing stock price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/BA-Quote"> here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cryptocurrency-value-explained-by-crypto-hedge-fund-cio-ari-paul-2017-11">The CIO of a crypto hedge fund explains the value in cryptocurrency - and why the market will explode over the next 2 years</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

How the Boeing jet no one wanted became the plane airlines scour the planet for

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/ Austrian Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">Austrian Airlines economy class.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The middle seat - especially in coach - is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-harder-to-avoid-middle-seat-2016-4" target="_blank">one of the most dreaded and common scenarios</a> in flying.</p><p>It's cramped, it's inconvenient, and it's often the only seats available on flights - particularly if you book at the last minute.</p><p>In the past, an easy way to ensure you get an aisle or window seat is to book flight early.</p><p>However, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-harder-to-avoid-middle-seat-2016-4" target="_blank">airlines have figured out that their customers have an almost universal hatred for the middle seat</a>.</p><p>Not only that, airlines have come to realize that many are actually willing to pay to avoid it.</p><p>For instance, Delta's cheapest tickets these days fall under its Basic Economy class which only allow passengers to select their seats after checking in - at which point the window and aisle seats are likely to be already gone.</p><p>This means, passengers will have to buy more expensive main cabin tickets in order to select seats at the time of booking.</p><p>On the other hand, Southwest - which doesn't assign seats - charges passengers $15 for the privilege of boarding early.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>LM Otero/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Southwest Airlines doesn't assign seats.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Although it is impossible to completely rule out the possibility of ending up in the middle seat, there are several ways to avoid it without having to pony up extra dough.</p><p>First, in spite of the revenue generating fees airlines have come up with, booking early is still the best way to ensure you don't end up sandwiched in the middle. In addition to an increased likelihood of getting an aisle or window seats, booking early will also net you cheaper ticket prices.</p><p>According to a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/expedia-heres-when-you-should-buy-plane-tickets-2014-12" target="_blank">study by Expedia</a>, the average price of tickets are its lowest 57 days ahead of the flight. Further, the study also showed that those buying tickets more than three weeks in advance on flights within North America can expect to see savings of roughly 43-56%.</p><p>In fact, savings from cheaper tickets prices may allow you to "splurge" on the fees for aisle or window seats.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Boeing" title_caption="Boeing 737 with six-abreast seating." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57168a7391058422008bd9e8-960/k65079.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 737 with six-abreast seating.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Second, the plane used to operate the flight makes a big difference as well. These days, the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 along with their many derivatives dominate the short-to-medium-range market. Both aircraft are generally configured with six-abreast seating or six seats per row with two sections of three seats divided by a single aisle. This results in two middle seats per row.</p><p>However, there are ways to reduce the likelihood of ending up in the middle seat by taking flights using planes with fewer or no middle seats on board.</p><p>Instead of the 737 and A320, look for flights operated by Bombardier C-Series, McDonnell Douglas MD80 series, MD90, and Boeing 717-200 jets. These aircraft feature five-abreast seating in a 3-2 configuration - meaning there is only one middle seat per row.</p><p>In the US, the MD and 717 aircraft are mostly operated by Delta, American, and Allegiant. However, many of these aircraft are aging and their operators are working quickly to replace them with planes that are newer and have more seats. American is in the process of replacing its MD80 or Super80 aircraft with new Boeing 737s. At the same time, Delta is beginning to retire older MD88s in favor of new Airbus A321s. With that said, Delta's fleet currently features more than 270 MD88, MD90, and 717 jets. Which means they'll be around well into the next decade. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aero_icarus/6301854860/in/photolist-aASDU1-aouBE8-aAPVNK-rrGRGE-7v6yys-dNh2Rq-aqSjt6-9ENsTQ-aWcRnH-aPGafT-p1SeMp-7uZSp6-em7Zo5-agztUi-97HcBt-dg5svK-agCkHw-7v1wNe-8HGwoG-7Avr6K-6N3PVQ-6zzBVS-7uZA7x-dvyL8s-7AzguW-8YQ5ya-bdcMiD-8DiCZs-dJyErW-8jLZzs-qraCmX-eYq2gy-97Ha7H-dJtajn-eesAy9-hHt4YZ-5ATRCo-jthzFn-dz4Drp-7v5jsA-4Ss61u-5AhzBX-aqSd76-em83J7-hHtAUf-ffaBCq-6PTeTx-bW187F-eesCM9-dtv52v">Flickr/Aero Icarus</a></span></p><p class="caption">Delta Air Lines MD88.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The Bombardier C-Series is brand new and just entered service with SWISS in July of 2016. Over the next few years, the Canadian jetliner will become a more common sight in airports around the world with Delta, Air Canada, SWISS, and Korean Air as its most well-known operators. </p><p>Another option is to take flights operated for the major airlines by regional carriers under names such as Delta Connection, United Express, and American Eagle. These flights are generally operated using regional jets or turboprop airliners.</p><p>Although they are smaller and more cramped, regional aircraft are generally setup in a 2-2 configuration which means there are no middle seats. Here, look for aircraft such as the Bombardier CRJ, the Q400 turboprop as well as the Embraer ERJ.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Delta Connection CRJ regional jet.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The Embraer E170 and E190 series is a good 'tweener option. Seating anywhere between 70 to 100 passengers, the E-Jet operates both as a regional airliner and with mainline carriers such as American, Air Canada, Polish LOT, and JetBlue. Like the smaller regional jets, the E-Jet is usually setup in a 2-2 configuration with no middle seats. With Embraer launching a second generation of the E-Jet, expect this to be an option for many years down the road. </p><p>Unfortunately for many flyers around the world, the narrow-body airliner fleet in Asia and Europe is a virtual duopoly split between the 737 and the A320-family. As a result, apart from encountering the odd C-Series, E-Jet or 717, passengers will have to fly on a regional jet to avoid six-abreast seating. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wbaiv/4342579299/in/photolist-7BJRwT-dw64cU-qhbB4C-fts4Vw-j3Qw9w-673GWJ-ifXEZt-9Vs5Si-6EyYF8-6xVMDY-qhciy7-qwt19h-pBZ4Qv-5z9Wp5-6CDoQa-ENXY2-9VuVtm-5LKNVm-ifYxPo-ifY4EQ-6xVMZ1-2yFRY-apY4NS-28KDmK-e252y-ifZzas-pVAu9-et7TB7-57VGz5-ifZbCV-91bDmV-8nUPrE-9PxomL-5cYMEZ-6eh9mz-7v69nS-4cUpLm-6gwsVL-ze8mK-5rzios-6emhiA-fE4Asb-6u1FyT-dg51m9-8KZnt9-Bcf18-e9Uin-8vJL5x-6zHxCv-6gnGDt">Flickr/Bill Abbott</a></span></p><p class="caption">A JetBlue Embraer E-Jet.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Choosing a flight based on the airplane also works on long haul international flights. These flights are commonly operated by wide-body, twin aisle airliners such as the Boeing 777, 787, and Airbus A350 as well as the larger Boeing 747 jumbos and the Airbus A380 superjumbos.</p><p>These large jets are generally setup with nine or even 10-abreast seating in a 3-3-3 or 3-4-3 configuration with either three or four middle seats per row in coach.</p><p>For flyers looking to avoid middle seats on long haul flights, there are several types of aircraft they should hone in on. First, Boeing's venerable twin-engine 767 wide-body is still around and can commonly be found with a 2-3-2 configuration. That means there's only one middle seat per row in coach. It should be noted, however, that many of the 767s are pushing 20 years of age and like the MD80/90, airlines are in the process of replacing them with newer models.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Airbus</span></p><p class="caption">Airbus A330neo future interior.</p></div><p></p></div></div>With the 767 on the way out, look for flights operated by the twin-engine Airbus A330 and its discontinued four-engined sibling, the A340. These airliners generally feature eight-abreast seating in a 2-4-2 configuration. As a result, the A330/A340 generally fly with only two middle seats per row in coach.</p><p>Fortunately, for flyers, the A330 one of the most popular wide-body airliners in the world with about 1,500 examples in operation and is still rolling off Airbus production lines. In fact, the company is currently selling a next generation version called the A330neo.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-first-flight-2016-1">Watch Boeing's newest airliner fly for the very first time</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="l5ZmRrMDE6phI79LAk0XYHHxWwc2gLH3" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's how to avoid the middle seat on a plane

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lucas Jackson</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>This week,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-delta-says-flights-grounded-nationwide-after-system-outage-2016-8" target="_blank"> Delta Air Lines was forced to temporarily shut down</a> flight operations after its computer system failed.</p><p>It took four days for the second largest airline in the world to recover from the disruption to its operation.</p><p>As a result, Delta was forced to cancel more than 2,000 flights while delaying thousands more.</p><p>Unfortunately, Delta is just the latest airline to suffer a catastrophic disruption to its service.</p><p>American, United, Southwest, and JetBlue have all been forced to temporarily ground its fleet in the past two years. </p><p>This leads us to ask the question - why do airlines suffer mass shutdowns?</p><p>"There are two kinds of mass cancellations - strategic and non-strategic," Phil Derner, NYC Aviation founder and FAA certified flight dispatcher, told Business Insider in an interview.</p><p>A strategic mass cancellation occurs when the airline has the opportunity to plan out the action. For instance, when an airline plans for an incoming hurricane or blizzard by completing certain flights to move its crew and aircraft out of harms way while cancelling others. A non-strategic mass cancellation happens suddenly and without warning. </p><p>"What happened to Delta this week was a non-strategic shutdown," Derner said. </p><p>So, what's is going on at an airline when a mass cancellation event does occur?</p><p>The daily operations of an airline is a neatly coordinated series of crew and aircraft movements. As an airline transports its customers, it's also strategically shifting its crew and equipment to various parts of the network. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Delta Air Lines passengers at Tokyo Narita International Airport.</p></div><p></p></div></div>As a result, when Delta's network was crippled by a computer outage this week, its crew and aircraft movement stopped along with the passenger traffic. </p><p>In statement this week, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/delta-reveal-cause-computer-shutdown-2016-8" target="_blank">Delta wrote</a>:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">When Delta doesn't fly aircraft, not only do customers not get to their destination, but flight crews don't get to where they are scheduled to be. When this happens, unfortunately, further delays and cancellations result. And flight crews can only be on duty for a limited time before rest periods are required by law. </p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>Flight crews - pilots and flight attendants - carry out their responsibilities in a rotation, a schedule of flights and hotel reservations, that is usually three or four days. </span><br /><br /><span>As cancellations occur, rotations become invalid. Multiplied across tens of thousands of pilots and flight attendants and thousands of scheduled flights, rebuilding rotations is a time-consuming process.</span></p><p>Airlines are in the business of making money. A flight cancellation could cost them tens of thousands of dollars. As a result, they prefer their planes to be up in the air generating revenue as much as possible. This means that the plane you are flying on is likely to have made as many as eight flights in one day depending on the duration of the trip. So if a plane gets grounded on its first flight of the day, there's a ripple effect down the line.</p><p>So when an inbound flight operated by a 400-seat jumbo jet is cancelled, the next flight waiting to use that aircraft will need to find a replacement if it wants to keep to the schedule. And if there's only a single 160-seat 737 available at the airport, then that flight is in jeopardy of delay or cancellation unless a replacement aircraft can be secured from another location. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images/Andrew Burton</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>While airlines do keep a few spare aircraft (usually of the most common aircraft type used for routes to that particular airport) around for eventualities, they aren't enough to the cover the overflow of passengers from a mass cancellation event. </p><p>This also applies for the crew. Even though airline such as Delta place pilots and cabin crew on standby throughout its global network just in case of an emergency, there's no way they could accommodate a shutdown of this scale. </p><p>Large international airlines operate fleets that could feature more than a dozen different models of aircraft - each deployed for a specific mission. Unfortunately, not all pilots are certified to fly all planes. In order for a pilot to be legally permitted to fly an aircraft, he or she must be "type rated" on the model. This basically means that the pilot must be licensed to operate that specific aircraft. </p><p>For instance, you are waiting for your delayed flight from New York to Paris on a wide-body Boeing 777. Even if your plane is at the gate, there may not be a crew available that's type rated for the aircraft. And even if there is a crew certified to fly the plane, the flight may still be canceled or delayed. </p><p>Why?</p><p>Because the flight crew may not have enough duty hours left in their work day to complete the trip.</p><p>Pilot fatigue has been cited as a cause for some of the most devastating accidents in aviation history. As a result, the number of hours a pilot can be on duty is strictly governed by federal regulations under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/14/part-117" target="_blank">FAR Part 117</a> as well as labor contracts negotiated by the airline and the pilot's union. </p><p>Strict duty hour limits also apply to the cabin crew. </p><p>At the end of the day. When you can't fly, neither can the airline's crew and equipment. Rest assured, the airline wants to make that flight happen way more than you do. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/deltas-techops-facility-jiffy-lube-maintenance-repair-jumbo-jets-2016-6">Inside Delta's 2.7 million square-foot facility where they repair and maintain their massive fleet of airplanes </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="B1NTZ5MzE6YR3vv7mIiNt7gOqnE2PFZL" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's what happens when an airline suffers a catastrophic shutdown

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Flickr/Mark Harkin" title_caption="Icelandair Boeing 757-200." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5582d82beab8eaab23992693-960/boeing-757-200-icelandair.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markyharky/13914539055/in/photolist-nczDFM-bHQXPT-bHQXHx-buWotd-bHR5dz-bHR6pT-7viySX-8QsfAA-8KLQCB-8KLRUT-8KLQQx-8KPUUU-8KPVdL-8Qpa6p-8KLRJH-8Qsyiu-8KPV5C-8KPUm3-8PycEW-8KPVoy-bHR9Xv-bHR9N8-7vKA7w-buWcAw-bHR9c8-bHQYrx-bHR2eK-bHQQdc-buWnRE-bHQKDc-bHQPUi-buWe5q-buWehj-buW2iC-bHR9mX-buW4rE-buWf5S-buWeVj-buWhHG-bHR1np-bHR7pV-buWdVj-bHR1Xi-6nhZWi-dXasgc-buWgQW-buWdGU-bHR538-bHR4gX-bkhgeD">Flickr/Mark Harkin</a></span></p><p class="caption">Icelandair Boeing 757-200.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Amid all of the wheeling and dealing, at the 2015 Paris Air Show, the most talked about airplane at the event doesn't even exist yet.</p><p>At the heart of the conversation is a replacement for Boeing's long-serving 757 - known within the industry as "MOM" or "Middle of the Market" jet. </p><p>"The Boeing MOM will likely launch by the end of the decade at the latest and enter service sometime during the early part of the 2020s," Airways News senior business analyst Vinay Bhaskara told Business Insider in an interview. </p><p>The plane would likely be a 220-seat jet that's larger than Boeing's single-aisle 737, but more compact than the company's 787-8 Dreamliner.</p><p>Although Bhaskara believes the MOM jet will be a single-aisle affair, Boeing executives have hinted that the plane will ultimately be a twin-aisle widebody. That's backed up by <a href="http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/fg-reports-live/pdf/business%20case%20for%20middle%20of%20the%20market%20aircraft%20.pdf" target="_blank">Ascend Flightglobal Consultancy</a>.<span><br /></span></p><p>According to a white paper by Ascend, the envisioned plane will be able to fly more than 5,000 miles - a 20% gain over the existing 757, which was discontinued in 2004.  </p><p>However, the MOM will be optimized to make money for airlines on trips of around 2,500 miles. </p><p>The upcoming Boeing MOM is also expected to be a "clean sheet design" - developed from scratch, rather than derived from an existing model, Bhaskara told Business Insider.</p><p>But there's a catch.</p><p>Boeing's envisioned MOM doesn't exist yet. </p><p>That's particularly alarming considering the years of prep work and experimentation that's required before the launch of a new plane. In fact, in the last quarter century, Boeing has only released two clean-sheet designs: the 777 in 1995; and the 787 in 2011. And the latter's gestation period proved to be particularly rocky and troublesome, even with more than a decade of prep time. </p><p>So will the MOM actually happen?</p><p>"Yes," Bhaskara said, without hesitation. </p><p>Boeing doesn't have a choice. If the company's current problems in the segment continue, the plane maker may be in deep trouble, Bhaskara added.</p><p>What he's referring to is the struggle of Boeing's current offering in the MOM segment - the 737Max9  - compared to the Airbus A321neo.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Airbus" title_caption="Korean Air ordered 50 A321neos at the 2015 Paris Air Show." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5582f0076bb3f79e0b99268e-960/korean-air-airbus-a321neo.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Airbus</span></p><p class="caption">Korean Air ordered 50 A321neos at the 2015 Paris Air Show.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The A321neo offers better range, fuel efficiency, and operating costs. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">And based on Bhaskara's assessment the A321neo " is a better plane by a substantial margin."</span></p><p>As of this month, the A321neo is outselling the Boeing 4 to 1. </p><p>Even worse, several Max9 customers have either switched their orders to Boeing's hot-selling, but smaller 737Max8 or have cancelled them altogether in favor of the Airbus.</p><p>But Boeing may be able to reclaim the dominant position the company held in the segment during the 757's 20-year production life cycle. </p><p>There's certainly demand for the a new clean-sheet MOM jet. American, United, and Delta Airlines currently operate a combined 757 fleet of more than 250 planes. A large number of these planes are more than two decades old and will need to be retired in the next few years, regardless of how much the carriers cherish their abilities. </p><p>Many of these aircraft have allowed the airlines to serve short haul routes in highly congested airports or international routes that didn't generate enough business to justify a larger widebody jet.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Boeing" title_caption="Boeing 737-9 Max" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5582fe1469beddcb3400549d-960/boeing-737-9-max.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 737-9 Max</p></div><p></p></div></div>Furthermore, Ascend Consultancy reported that there were 642 routes around the world designated for an MOM-type aircraft in 2014 - routes greater than 2,500 miles. But a large number of those routes were being flown by larger, more expensive, and less fuel-efficient widebody aircraft, such as the Boeing 767 and the Airbus A330. </span></p><p><span>Widebody jets such as the A330 are optimized to for 5,000-mile, long-haul routes, not the 2,500-2,800 mile routes they're currently deployed on, Bhaskara emphasized. </span></p><p><span>A dedicated MOM aircraft would certainly offer airlines greater levels of efficiency and profitability. </span></p><p>According to <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-17/boeing-jet-that-doesn-t-exist-yet-becomes-talk-of-paris-air-show" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, Boeing pegged the overall demand in the MOM segment to be around 1,000 planes, which is roughly the same number of 757s Boeing sold. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/scientifically-ways-women-attractive-2015-5">6 scientifically proven features men find attractive in women</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tiMGo5cTpwCabxNRPKR9Te43E3zYrTMd" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Boeing's mystery plane has the Paris Air Show buzzing

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Airbus" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56ab94e8c08a80e01b8bd8ff-960/a380_take_off_airbus_livery.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Airbus</span></p></div><p></p></div></div><a href="http://www.airbus.com/presscentre/pressreleases/press-release-detail/detail/ana-group-selects-the-a380/" target="_blank">Airbus confirmed Friday that Japan's All Nippon Airways</a> will become the latest airline to buy the A380 super jumbo.</p><p>The Japanese carrier will become the country's first operator of the aircraft type with the addition of three double-deckers to its fleet.</p><p>News of the ANA deal comes just one day after <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airbus-sold-iran-25-billion-airliners-2016-1" target="_blank">Airbus confirmed the sale of 12 A380s to Iran Air</a> as part of a 118-aircraft, $25 billion order.</p><p>This week's two deals mark a dramatic conclusion to the A380's sales drought that saw Airbus go more than two years without an airline order for the jet.</p><p><span>"We are extremely proud to welcome ANA Group as a new customer for the A380," Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Brégier said in a statement. </span></p><p><span>"As one of the world's most prestigious airlines, ANA Group will be able to benefit from the A380's proven operating economics and unrivaled passenger appeal."</span> </p><p>Prior to the ANA and Iran Air orders, the last time Airbus received an airline order for the A380 was at the end of 2013 when Emirates bought a batch.</p><p>The sharp decline in fuel prices over the past year may have made the four-engined widebody attractive once again to airlines. </p><p>According to Airbus, the company has generated 319 firm orders for the aircraft since it went on sale more than a decade ago. However, those order numbers have been greatly helped by the plane's single largest supporter - Emirates. Of the 319 A380s orders, 140 have been by the Dubai-based airline.</p><p>Rumors of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airbus-says-it-has-new-order-for-a380-superjumbo-2016-1" target="_blank">ANA deal popped up earlier this month</a>, but neither the airline nor Airbus could offer a confirmation at the time.</p><p>ANA is expected to initially deploy the A380s on its Tokyo to Honolulu route when it takes delivery in 2019.</p><p>With the ability to carry as many as 544 passenger per plane, the super jumbo will allow ANA to increase capacity at its slot-constrained Tokyo Haneda hub.</p><p>Propulsion for the ANA A380s will come from Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-wings-of-this-airbus-plane-can-bend-way-more-than-you-thought-possible-2016-1">The wings of this Airbus plane can bend way more than you thought possible</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="R5Y2YxMDE6wzRei5HZqBLs9cI8_l8Brv" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Airbus just ended its A380 super jumbo sales drought in spectacular fashion

<p class="full"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="AP" title_caption="This image taken from video provided by TVBS shows a commercial airplane clipping an elevated roadway just before it careened into a river in Taipei, Taiwan in February 2015." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54d3ca166da8113b1b8b4567-960/transasia-plane-crash-taiwan-8.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">This image taken from video provided by TVBS shows a commercial airplane clipping an elevated roadway just before it careened into a river in Taipei, Taiwan in February 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dashcam-video-captures-taiwan-plane-crashing-through-a-freeway-and-into-a-river-2015-2" target="_blank">TransAsia Airways ATR-72-600 regional airliner crashed</a> this week shortly after take off in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei. </p>
<p>Dashcam footage of the harrowing incident show the airliner banked sharply before striking a highway bridge and into the Keelung River.</p>
<p>Taiwanese aviation authorities said that the pilots reported an "engine flame-out" before the twin-engine airliner plunged into a river.</p>
<p>"An ATR-72 has enough power to climb on just one engine," <span>commercial pilot and publisher of aviation blog Jetwhine.com Robert Mark told Business Insider. </span></p>
<p><span>"However, if both engines went out, then that's a whole different ball game."</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_BC2ixIYdM" target="_blank"></a>According to <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/02/04/transasia-airways-taipei-plane-crash/22842757/" target="_blank">USA Today</a>, of the 58 passengers and crew on board, 31 died in the crash. Another 12 are still missing.</p>
<p>Here's everything we know so far about the airline and the aircraft that went down.</p>
<p>The aircraft in question is a French-built ATR-72-600 regional airliner and is one of 11 ATRs in TransAsia's fleet. According to <a href="http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-atr-1141.htm" target="_blank">Airfleets.net</a>, the aircraft involved in the crash - registration number B-22816- is almost brand new, with the airline taking delivery just nine months ago. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.atraircraft.com/about-atr/corporate-overview/company-profile.html" target="_blank">Founded in 1981, ATR (Avions de Transport Regional)</a> is a joint venture between Airbus Group and Italian aerospace firm Alenia Aermacchi for the stated purpose of building advanced regional airliners. </p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Powered by a pair of Pratt &amp; Whitney PW127M turboprop engines, the ATR-72-600 and its predecessors have been one of the most popular regional airliners in the world since their debut in 1989. <a href="http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/atr.htm" target="_blank">According to Airsafe.com</a>, today's accident marks the seventh fatal crash for the aircraft type.</p>
<p>"The ATR is a good, reliable aircraft," Mark said. "It's been on sale for long time with a good safety record." </p>
<p>TransAsia Airways is a small regional carrier based in Taipei. <a href="http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Transasia%20Airways.htm" target="_blank">According to the Airfleets.net</a>, the airline's fleet of 22 aircraft ranges from turboprops, such as the the ATR, to wide-body, long-haul jets like the Airbus A330. W<span>ith scheduled and charter flights, t</span>he airline serves mostly customers in East and Southeast Asia.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/1062776" target="_blank">According to Taiwanese news</a>, this week's crash is the seventh incident involving a TransAsia ATR-72 in the last 15 years. It's the third fatal crash involving a plane in the airline's ATR fleet.</p>
<p>A TransAsia ATR cargo plane crashed in 2001 due to ice forming on its wings, while another of the airline's ATR-72 passenger planes crashed last July in the Penghu Islands, off the coast of Taiwan, while trying to land in bad weather.</p>

Here's everything we know about the TransAsia plane that crashed into a bridge in Taiwan

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Flickr/Aero Icarus" title_caption="A Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-343 similar to the aircraft involved in the incident." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5564c2a069bedd916faea4cf-960/airbus-a330-300-singapore-airlines.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aero_icarus/6053543288/in/photolist-adVZw1-rPES3j-rxcDH5-9EvC9F-9EykmU-8E1HBp-rxka1v-8E1HTv-qYtmVP-8E1Hmg-dSJMTN-7CPRHu-7CEeic-7CEeTK-7CEe4t-jGCotW-jGC8u7-jGzN86-d4BRn5-dcFQ1T-9ExKX1-d4BXXW-cMSpqo-afk6Bq-i6zDcg-d4DUHL-iCKPUc-sryw8p-od9u5c-afhhDF-afkqfb-afhuZF-pZtmFy-qWtwta-afkrmG-afhCa4-rPESyE-fiMS5v-afkCQ1-a5ae4E-qPeYZA-qPeZEo-rPESrW-d4CEtW-ehKdcT-kVrNbx-dXgZva-d1n58J-fApkfs-d4D5P5">Flickr/Aero Icarus</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-343 similar to the aircraft involved in the incident.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Over the weekend, Singapore Airlines flight 836, flying from Singapore to Shanghai, lost power mid-flight on both of its Rolls-Royce engines.<p>According to&#xa0;<a href="https://twitter.com/flightradar24/status/603224269921857536/photo/1" target="_blank">Flightradar 24</a>, the Airbus A330-343 experienced the problem while cruising at 39,000 ft.</p><p>The incident, which took place just south of Hong Kong, caused the airliner to drop 13,000 feet before the crew was able to restart the engines.&#xa0;</p><p>The Airbus jet - registration number <a href="http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a330-1609.htm" target="_blank">9V-SSF</a> -&#xa0;landed safely in Shanghai an hour and a half later.</p><p>182 passengers and 12 crew members were on board the airliner at the time of the incident. No Injuries were reported.</p><p>According to <a href="http://avherald.com/h?article=486d5637" target="_blank">The Aviation Herald</a>, Singapore Airlines confirmed that the A330 "experienced a temporary loss of power" after encountering some bad weather.&#xa0;</p><div><div></div></div><p class="embed-spacer"></p><p>Once on the ground in Shanghai, the two-month-old airliner underwent a batch of tests, but a cause for the power loss couldn't be determined, the Aviation Herald reported.&#xa0;</p><p>Singapore's Air Accident Investigations Bureau is looking into the incident.&#xa0;</p><p>When a jet like the A330 loses an engine, it's still certified to fly for as long as four hours on the remaining engine. Obviously, when a jet loses both engines, the situation is much more serious. However, pilots are trained to handle it.</p><p>The A330-300 is a twin-engined medium-sized wide-body airliner and one of Airbus' top selling aircraft types.&#xa0;<span>The plane that experienced the problem was fitted with two Rolls-Royce Trent 772B turbofan engines</span></p><p>Singapore has <span>31 Airbus A330-300s in its&#xa0;</span>fleet. They fly routes across Asia and Australia.&#xa0;</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-omega-globemaster-watch-unboxing-2015-5">Forget the Apple Watch - here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5iaDNwdDrYYMm2yipFb14ndbRkPnemqO" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A Singapore Airlines Airbus jet lost power on all of its engines mid flight

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aero_icarus/8354093142/in/photolist-dJdUQE-9Yi6qW-efw28r-c2YyWS-7VN6ib-91hZf1-8TYmPz-eCuLWi-efxmhc-dkEShK-7Cpr6A-9FTEQZ-7JegPw-7dVcxS-et2Lxz-7dRj2c-nEG3R8-9mZ4Ht-eUPqXq-6J5bKE-9TbeM8-bDRr35-cF4tH-5ezasc-7JanEH-7dVdSN-6J5crJ-7dRjhv-7dVdzf-7JaktT-9ibZ4j-7Jamta-7v4pqS-7dRhm4-6J5azG-mShAJT-m6oj5M-eUPrdN-aAHbB7-7dRida-dATtAn-bKPoVx-dFCCvt-EsAMb-jUAnGB-fqgXi4-7VN8sy-6d2rj4-7CkFSR-nE4ipV">Flickr/Aero Icarus</a></span></p><p class="caption">American Airlines Boeing 757.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Twelve years after Boeing discontinued the 757, the long-time 'tweener in the company's lineup is still popular among U.S. airlines.</p><p>American, Delta, and United all operate large fleets of the airplane.</p><p><span>Even though the Renton, Washington-based plane maker booked more than 1,000 orders for the jets over its two decades in production, it was never a hot seller. </span></p><p><span>By the early 2000's, sales of the 757 had all but dried up, and Boeing put the plane out to pasture in 2004.</span></p><p>Although many of the planes are pushing 25 years of service, airlines are hanging onto their 757s. For instance, Delta, who has spent big bucks on a fleet of new jets, recently refurbished the cabins of its aging 757s instead of replacing them with newer planes. </p><p>So why are its customer's so loyal? Is the 757 such as good? To get some answers, Business Insider recently spoke with author and Boeing 757 pilot Patrick Smith about the plane.</p><p><span>"There's no denying the 757 is an old plane that was designed in the late 1970s, b<span>ut the versatility of the plane is remarkable and unmatched,</span>" Smith, the<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cockpit-Confidential-Everything-Questions-Reflections/dp/1402280912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1474654659&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cockpit+confidential" target="_blank"> author of the book Cockpit Confidential</a>, told Business Insider in an interview. "It's profitable on both short-haul domestic as well as trans-Atlantic routes."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Tami Chappell</span></p><p class="caption">Delta Boeing 757.</p></div><p></p></div></div>During it's production life, the 757 was always a bit of an oddity - a 'tweener of sorts. It's larger and offers greater range than the average narrow body jet, but smaller and cheaper to operate than a wide-body. Boeing and its customers, for many years, didn't quite know how to take full advantage of the plane's capabilities. However, when they did figure it out, it became an integral part of the operators' fleets. </span></p><p>Boeing is currently marketing a new stretched variant of its long-serving 737 - called the MAX 9 -  as a potential replacement for the 757. Now, there's talk that <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-737max-idUSKCN11S2EZ" target="_blank">Boeing may make the 737 even larger </a>to match get closer to the 757's capacity. </p><p>"Boeing is trying to push the 737 as a viable 757 replacement," Smith said, "In some respects it can and in some respects it can't."</p><p>For instance, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/norwegian-boeing-757-airbus-321-neo-lr-2016-9" target="_blank">737 simply isn't capable of the same kind of engine performance as the 757</a>.</p><p>According to Smith, the 737 falls way short of the 757 in terms of runway performance. The 737 requires a much higher takeoff speed and much more runway to get off the ground. </p><p><span>"The 757 can be off the ground in 4,000 ft. and under 140 knots," he told us. However, Smith recounts being in the cockpit jump seat of a 737 as two other pilots were flying. During takeoff, the author noticed that the plane didn't lift off until 160 knots and used up much more runway.</span></p><p><span>Furthermore, the 757 can comfortably climb straight to its cruising altitude. On the other hand, the 737 requires a step climb procedure that calls for the plane to climb to a certain altitude and burn off some fuel to lighten the load before climbing to higher altitude. </span></p><p><span>Runway performance matters. Especially when it comes to the type of flying the 757 and the 737 are asked to perform - trans-continental or oceanic flights with a full payload.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 737 MAX 9.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"<span>The 737 falls short when you're trying fly it longer haul, coast to coast. It can do it, but not by much," Smith said. In addition, when it comes to flying across the Atlantic, "t</span></span>here's is concern in the winter, when there is ferocious head winds, the 737 may need to stop for fuel."</p><p>The reality is that Smith believes the Boeing 737 is a good plane, but is being asked to take on a mission the design wasn't meant to perform.</p><p>"The Boeing 737 was essentially conceived as a small regional jet nearly decades ago," Smith told us. "It's an extremely popular plane, but it's being asked to perform missions it wasn't designed for."</p><p>As a result, Boeing is simply not in a position to bolt bigger engines onto the 737. Since its introduction in the 1960s, Boeing has been installing larger and larger engines on the 737 as the size of the plane grew. Unfortunately, the amount of room underneath the wing hasn't changed. Thus, Boeing has all but maxed out on the size of the engines it can mount on the 737 without completely redesigning the plane's under carriage. </p><p>Instead of a stretched 737, Smith believes Boeing should have gone for an updated version of the 757 at sometime during its production run.</p><p><span>"Somewhere along the way, had Being just re-engined the 757 with a new cockpit and new internal system, it could have been a big hit," Smith told us.</span></p><p><span>Representatives from Boeing were not immediately available for comment.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlines470/16049387128/in/photolist-qseiDb-7ADa3C-qjStiD-9Ae79a-h7aCXm-9Ae7aa-89wjEv-6xXSek-rhL8v-9Ae7bR-4wcV7A-7nSQd-9Ae7b4-9Ah4Js-9Ae79H-7vG3t6-rhL7p-8NVmpZ-ee5u7f-91zrpY-qm8zDr-qidh88-pXY8su-qr5r6R-q9SqFF-axpg7Q-7P67Do-7UEW3U-qfrb99-4S5kCM-dYhGwY-gd2cPd-naxNAH-qpAgHr-gcQHsa-pt1v6c-aignyx-nbiTwt-oAWdGU-f4BaJp-9JVcws-7AAkXp-ejrkjt-9x4euV-9x7dF9-9x4dDT-9x4dRM-9x4egD-9x4dpc-a1LKC4">Flickr/Eric Salard</a></span></p><p class="caption">Icelandair Boeing 757.</p></div><p></p></div></div>With that said, the 757 isn't a perfect plane.</span></p><p><span><span>"It's a 6-across narrow body that's long and thin," Smith said. "And for passengers, it can take a long time to board and disembark." </span></span></p><p><span><span>In addition, the 757's cockpit is pretty old-fashioned with compared to modern airliners such as the 737 MAX. The controls of the 757 are also much heavier for pilots than its sibling - the Boeing 767. The 757 and 767 were developed at the same time and features virtually identical cockpits. </span></span></p><p><span><span>Finally, the Boeing 757 leaves a massive amount of wake turbulence as it flies - forcing air traffic controllers to keep other planes far away from passing 757s. </span></span></p><div>"No one know really why, but the 757 has really strong wake turbulence," Smith told us. "The early 757s had worse wake turbulence than the 747."</div><div></div><div>Although Smith added that the addition of winglets on later 757s have greatly decreased the wake turbulence.</div><div></div><div>The Boeing 757 is aircraft that's come and gone. It's served it tour of duty with honor and distinction. Now, it's time for Boeing to find a replacement worthy of stepping into its shoes. </div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-billion-dollar-facility-777x-composite-wing-center-2016-5"> Boeing just spent $1 billion on this massive facility to build airplane wings</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9pbmltMzE6M8x-mUKBSwfaUc0y62B5OU" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

An airline pilot reveals why the Boeing 757 is truly unique

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aero_icarus/8354093142/in/photolist-dJdUQE-9Yi6qW-efw28r-c2YyWS-7VN6ib-91hZf1-8TYmPz-eCuLWi-efxmhc-dkEShK-7Cpr6A-9FTEQZ-7JegPw-7dVcxS-et2Lxz-7dRj2c-nEG3R8-9mZ4Ht-eUPqXq-6J5bKE-9TbeM8-bDRr35-cF4tH-5ezasc-7JanEH-7dVdSN-6J5crJ-7dRjhv-7dVdzf-7JaktT-9ibZ4j-7Jamta-7v4pqS-7dRhm4-6J5azG-mShAJT-m6oj5M-eUPrdN-aAHbB7-7dRida-dATtAn-bKPoVx-dFCCvt-EsAMb-jUAnGB-fqgXi4-7VN8sy-6d2rj4-7CkFSR-nE4ipV">Flickr/Aero Icarus</a></span></p><p class="caption">American Airlines Boeing 757.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Twelve years after Boeing discontinued the 757, the long-time 'tweener in the company's lineup is still popular among U.S. airlines.</p><p>American, Delta, and United all operate large fleets of the airplane.</p><p><span>Even though the Renton, Washington-based plane maker booked more than 1,000 orders for the jets over its two decades in production, it was never a hot seller. </span></p><p><span>By the early 2000's, sales of the 757 had all but dried up, and Boeing put the plane out to pasture in 2004.</span></p><p>Although many of the planes are pushing 25 years of service, airlines are hanging onto their 757s. For instance, Delta, who has spent big bucks on a fleet of new jets, recently refurbished the cabins of its aging 757s instead of replacing them with newer planes.</p><p>So why are its customer's so loyal? Is the 757 that good? To get some answers, Business Insider recently spoke with author and Boeing 757 pilot Patrick Smith about the plane.</p><p>"There's no denying the 757 is an old plane that was designed in the late 1970s, but the versatility of the plane is remarkable and unmatched," Smith, the<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cockpit-Confidential-Everything-Questions-Reflections/dp/1402280912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1474654659&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=cockpit+confidential" target="_blank"> author of the book Cockpit Confidential</a>, told Business Insider in an interview."It's profitable on both short-haul domestic as well as trans-Atlantic routes."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Tami Chappell</span></p><p class="caption">Delta Boeing 757.</p></div><p></p></div></div>During it's production life, the 757 was always a bit of an oddity - a 'tweener of sorts. It's larger and offers greater range than the average narrow body jet, but smaller and cheaper to operate than a wide-body. Boeing and its customers, for many years, didn't quite know how to take full advantage of the plane's capabilities. However, when they did figure it out, it became an integral part of the operators' fleets.</p><p>Boeing is currently marketing a new stretched variant of its long-serving 737 - called the MAX 9 - as a potential replacement for the 757. Now, there's talk that <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-737max-idUSKCN11S2EZ" target="_blank">Boeing may make the 737 even larger </a>to get closer to the 757's capacity.</p><p>"Boeing is trying to push the 737 as a viable 757 replacement," Smith said, "In some respects it can and in some respects it can't."</p><p>For instance, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/norwegian-boeing-757-airbus-321-neo-lr-2016-9" target="_blank">737 simply isn't capable of the same kind of engine performance as the 757</a>.</p><p>According to Smith, the 737 falls way short of the 757 in terms of runway performance. The 737 requires a much higher takeoff speed and much more runway to get off the ground.</p><p>"The 757 can be off the ground in 4,000 ft. and under 140 knots," he told us. However, Smith recounts being in the cockpit jump seat of a 737 as two other pilots were flying. During takeoff, the author noticed that the plane didn't lift off until 160 knots and used up much more runway.</p><p>Furthermore, the 757 can comfortably climb straight to its cruising altitude. On the other hand, the 737 requires a step climb procedure that calls for the plane to climb to a certain altitude and burn off some fuel to lighten the load before climbing to a higher altitude.</p><p>Runway performance matters. Especially when it comes to the type of flying the 757 and the 737 are asked to perform - trans-continental or oceanic flights with a full payload from smaller secondary airports.</p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p><p class="caption">Boeing 737 MAX 9.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"<span>The 737 falls short when you're trying fly it longer haul, coast to coast. It can do it, but not by much," Smith said. In addition, when it comes to flying across the Atlantic, "there's concern in the winter, when there are ferocious head winds, the 737 may need to stop for fuel."</span></span></p><p>The reality is that Smith believes the Boeing 737 is a good plane, but is being asked to take on a mission the design wasn't meant to perform.</p><p>"The Boeing 737 was essentially conceived as a small regional jet nearly five decades ago," Smith told us. "It's an extremely popular plane, but it's being asked to perform missions it wasn't designed for."</p><p>As a result, Boeing is simply not in a position to bolt bigger engines onto the 737. Since its introduction in the 1960s, Boeing has been installing larger and larger engines on the 737 as the size of the plane grew. Unfortunately, the amount of room underneath the wing hasn't changed. Thus, Boeing has all but maxed out on the size of the engines it can mount on the 737 without completely redesigning the plane's under carriage.</p><p>Instead of a stretched 737, Smith believes Boeing should have gone for an updated version of the 757 at some point during its production run.</p><p><span>"Somewhere along the way, had Being just re-engined the 757 with a new cockpit and new internal systems, it could have been a big hit," Smith told us.</span></p><p>In a statement to Business Insider, a Boeing spokesperson wrote:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>"The 737 MAX will extend the Next-Generation 737 range advantage with the capability to fly more than 3,500 nautical miles. That's an increase of 340-570 nmi over the 737NG which gives our customers the flexibility to open up new markets."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlines470/16049387128/in/photolist-qseiDb-7ADa3C-qjStiD-9Ae79a-h7aCXm-9Ae7aa-89wjEv-6xXSek-rhL8v-9Ae7bR-4wcV7A-7nSQd-9Ae7b4-9Ah4Js-9Ae79H-7vG3t6-rhL7p-8NVmpZ-ee5u7f-91zrpY-qm8zDr-qidh88-pXY8su-qr5r6R-q9SqFF-axpg7Q-7P67Do-7UEW3U-qfrb99-4S5kCM-dYhGwY-gd2cPd-naxNAH-qpAgHr-gcQHsa-pt1v6c-aignyx-nbiTwt-oAWdGU-f4BaJp-9JVcws-7AAkXp-ejrkjt-9x4euV-9x7dF9-9x4dDT-9x4dRM-9x4egD-9x4dpc-a1LKC4">Flickr/Eric Salard</a></span></p><p class="caption">Icelandair Boeing 757.</p></div><p></p></div></div>With that said, the 757 isn't a perfect plane.</span></p><p>"It's a 6-across (seating) narrow body that's long and thin," Smith said. "And for passengers, it can take a long time to board and disembark."</p><p>In addition, the 757's cockpit is pretty old-fashioned when compared to modern airliners such as the 737 MAX. The controls of the 757 are also much heavier for pilots than its sibling - the Boeing 767. The 757 and 767 were developed at the same time and feature virtually identical cockpits.</p><p>Finally, the Boeing 757 generates a massive amount of wake turbulence as it flies - forcing air traffic controllers to keep other planes far away from passing 757s.</p><p>"No one really knows why, but the 757 has really strong wake turbulence," Smith told us. "The early 757s had worse wake turbulence than the 747."</p><p>Although Smith added that the addition of winglets on later 757s have greatly decreased the wake turbulence. The Boeing 757 is an aircraft that's come and gone. It served its tour of duty with honor and distinction. Now, it's time for Boeing to find a replacement worthy of stepping into its shoes.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-billion-dollar-facility-777x-composite-wing-center-2016-5"> Boeing just spent $1 billion on this massive facility to build airplane wings</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9pbmltMzE6M8x-mUKBSwfaUc0y62B5OU" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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