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The five abreast economy configuration of the DC-9/MD-80 cabin has always proven popular with passengers due to MDC's larger seats and a 50% less chance of getting the dreaded centre seat in a full aircraft. The MDC cabin also allows a more productive four-abreast premium class with less wasted space.
New Airline to Concentrate On Trunk Route Shuttle
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A new airline, to be known as AAA Airlines, is planning to commence services in the first half of next year using a shuttle service linking Sydney and Melbourne.
AAA will be importing three McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s which will be fully refurbished and hush kitted to full ICAO Stage 3 standards. Initially the airline will only require two aircraft operationally but will keep the third in reserve to guarantee schedule integrity and to allow for expansion.
AAA is able to facilitate an operational reserve as the cost of acquiring aircraft like the DC-9, 727 and 737-200 have plummeted over the past year. According to Avmark, a good condition DC-9-30 can now be purchased for around $4m, hushkitting would add another $2m while a D check and cabin refurbishment a further million resulting in a 100-110 seat jet for around $7-8m, about a third the cost of acquiring anew similar sized Bae 146-300 or Fokker 100.
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