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Peter P. Belobaba. Wulz, Alexander Andrew Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics n-us--- 2013-01-07T21:21:33Z 2013-01-07T21:21:33Z 2012 2012 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/76109 820475397 Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2012. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91). The main objective of this thesis is to explore the evolution of U.S. commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010 and describe the implications for future U.S. commercial domestic fleets. Using data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we analyze 110 different aircraft types from 145 airlines operating U.S. commercial domestic service between 1991 and 2010. We classify the aircraft analyzed into four categories: turboprop, regional jet, narrow-body, and wide-body. Our study consists of three parts. First, we compare the four aircraft classes and explore trends in available seat miles, revenue passenger miles, load factor, aircraft departures, average stage length, aircraft utilization, seat capacity, daily departures per aircraft, aircraft ground time, and fuel burn. Second, we examine each of the aircraft classes in detail and provide insights on specific aircraft types. Finally, we compare product offerings from competing aircraft manufacturers in both the regional jet and narrow-body aircraft classes. The results indicate that more than 150 wide-body aircraft have been shifted from the U.S. commercial domestic market to international service while narrow-body stage lengths have increased 50% over the 20 year period analyzed. In addition, the introduction of more than 1,390 regional jets in the late 1990s and 2000s allowed airlines to expand hub operations and increase frequency on routes between major cities. A 10% decline in the turboprop fleet coupled with the lack of turboprop replacement aircraft in the 30 to 50-seat category suggest a potential for future reductions in air service to some smaller cities. Lastly, increasing fuel prices threaten the growth of the U.S. commercial domestic fleet in the upcoming decade and could potentially cause a significant number of aircraft to be no longer economically viable. by Alexander Andrew Wulz. S.M. 91 p. eng Massachusetts Institute of Technology M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 Aeronautics and Astronautics. The evolution of U.S. commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010 Evolution of US commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010 Evolution of United States commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010 Thesis application/pdf false Publication unknown unknown <Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="932623b4-9773-469c-8dd0-66665aefe80d"> <Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type> <Language>eng</Language> <Title>The evolution of U.S. commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010</Title> <Subtitle>Evolution of US commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010</Subtitle> <Subtitle>Evolution of United States commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010</Subtitle> <PublishedIn> <Publication> </Publication> </PublishedIn> <PublicationDate>2012</PublicationDate> <Authors> <Author> <DisplayName>Wulz, Alexander Andrew</DisplayName> <Affiliation> <OrgUnit> </OrgUnit> </Affiliation> </Author> </Authors> <Editors> </Editors> <Publishers> <Publisher> <DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName> <OrgUnit /> </Publisher> </Publishers> <License>http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582</License> <Keyword>Aeronautics and Astronautics.</Keyword> <Abstract>The main objective of this thesis is to explore the evolution of U.S. commercial domestic aircraft operations from 1991 to 2010 and describe the implications for future U.S. commercial domestic fleets. Using data collected from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, we analyze 110 different aircraft types from 145 airlines operating U.S. commercial domestic service between 1991 and 2010. We classify the aircraft analyzed into four categories: turboprop, regional jet, narrow-body, and wide-body. Our study consists of three parts. First, we compare the four aircraft classes and explore trends in available seat miles, revenue passenger miles, load factor, aircraft departures, average stage length, aircraft utilization, seat capacity, daily departures per aircraft, aircraft ground time, and fuel burn. Second, we examine each of the aircraft classes in detail and provide insights on specific aircraft types. Finally, we compare product offerings from competing aircraft manufacturers in both the regional jet and narrow-body aircraft classes. The results indicate that more than 150 wide-body aircraft have been shifted from the U.S. commercial domestic market to international service while narrow-body stage lengths have increased 50% over the 20 year period analyzed. In addition, the introduction of more than 1,390 regional jets in the late 1990s and 2000s allowed airlines to expand hub operations and increase frequency on routes between major cities. A 10% decline in the turboprop fleet coupled with the lack of turboprop replacement aircraft in the 30 to 50-seat category suggest a potential for future reductions in air service to some smaller cities. Lastly, increasing fuel prices threaten the growth of the U.S. commercial domestic fleet in the upcoming decade and could potentially cause a significant number of aircraft to be no longer economically viable.</Abstract> <Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right" > </Access> </Publication>