Among frugal travelers and frequent flyers, one of our self-admitted fascinations is with the aircraft we fly. From the original Queen of the Skies, the disappearing Boeing 747, to the newest composite aircraft – the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 XWB – getting to the destination is just as important as how we get there in certain situations.
Although many of us are obsessed with the newest and most advanced aircraft flying today, does fleet age truly matter? Should we be choosing our airlines based on average aircraft age, in order to ensure a better in-flight experience? The Motley Fool recently asked a similar question and what they discovered surprised me.
American Airlines
Among the legacy carriers, American Airlines has the youngest fleet, with the average aircraft age of 10.8 years. The Dallas-based airline currently boasts 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in their fleet, along with a total of 208 Airbus A321 aircraft. These two are among 11 total aircraft types the airline flies – which offers plenty of variety when it comes to travel.
United Airlines
United Airlines has the second youngest fleet among the legacy carriers, with an average aircraft age of 14.3 years. While the airline operates the most Boeing 787 Dreamliners among the American carriers, the variation in narrow-body aircraft is limited. The Chicago-based carrier flies over 300 Boeing 737 aircraft, including the next-generation variants.
Delta
Overall, Delta Air Lines had the second oldest fleet among all American carriers, with a mean age of just under 17 years. With seven Boeing 747s left in their fleet at an average age of just under 26 years combined with a number of MD-80 and MD-90 aircraft in their fleet, those who enjoy flying aboard historic aircraft may want to collect SkyMIles from the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. However, this does not mean that the airline is completely obsolete: the airline accepted delivery of their first Airbus A350 in July 2017, with service planned between Detroit and Tokyo.
Spirit & Frontier
The airlines with the youngest overall fleet were certainly surprising, but not unexpected. Ultra low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines were discovered to have the youngest overall fleets, with the average aircraft age of 6.6 and 7.3 years, respectively. Both airlines feature an all-Airbus fleet, flying a combination of the A320 family. These airlines are one of the situations where age does not necessarily matter, because the experience will be exactly the same.
Alaska & Jet Blue
However, not all is lost on aircraft age. Alaska Airlines and JetBlue both featured a younger aircraft age than all of the legacy carriers. Combined with Virgin America, Alaska offers an average aircraft age of 8.5 years old, with a combined fleet of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft. At JetBlue, the average Airbus A320 and A321 is an average of 9.2 years old, featuring the premium Mint product on select routes. While these airlines may not fly the newest aircraft, flyers who want a glimpse of the flying future – including innovative lighting products and improved overhead bins – may want to consider earning miles from the Alaska Airlines Credit Card or The JetBlue Card.
Does aircraft age matter to you? How do you pick your flights? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Written by Frugal Travel Guy @ http://www.frugaltravelguy.com
Written by Frugal Travel Guy @ http://www.frugaltravelguy.com