Attached is a poll. I am trying to find out what the best version of the CRJ is in terms of profitability.
What is the definition you use for profitability? Is the Return on Investment (ROI), margin, profit, revenue?
Id go with ROI and/or Margin
You can figure it out by using the evaluation tool. It depends really on the route. Hard to tell in general.
I personally operate both the 700 and 1000. Which one I operate really depends upon the airport and how much demand there is at it. It doesn't hurt to operate a mis of CRJ's as it still counts as only 1 maintenance category and type rating for pilots.
Things I realised when using the evaluation tool and own operation experiences:
- The lightest versions of each of the three are of course the cheapest to operate within their range 1, but their fuel burn explodes once you reach range 2. So while you could, for example, easily operate the CRJ 700 (range 1: 2,022 km) at 2,500 km routes with generous seating, the 700ER beats it from 2,200 km onwards.
- The CR9 doesn't really make sense. While capacity sits in the middle of CR7 and CRK, it costs nearly the same as the latter and I've always seen it performing worse even than its smaller brother, yet alone the CRK.
Yeah , the CRJ900 doesnt make sense when for less than 10k more per week you can get a CRJ1000EL
Why is the CRJ900 so unprofitable compared to CRJ700 and CRJ1000?
Why is the CRJ900 so unprofitable compared to CRJ700 and CRJ1000?
Its not that its unprofitable its just a case of "why would you when theres that".
For example
CRJ 700NG 130k p/w lease 68 seats = 3400AS$ in profit
CRJ 900NG 157.5k p/w lease 80 seats = 3650 AS$ in profit
CRJ1000EL 162.5k p/w lease 92 seats = 4150 AS$ in profit
Its a case of if the CRJ700 is too small for a route - then why would you chose the 900 over the 1000?
CRJ 700 and -900 have nearly the same cost per seat, the -1000 is cheaper.
On servers with Dynamic Turnarounds, CRJs have much longer turnarounds than Superjet or Embraer. So the CRJ 1000 is not the best choice here, and even the CRJ700 is not much better than an Embraer 170.
The answer is like always: It depends.
Its not that its unprofitable its just a case of "why would you when theres that".
For example
CRJ 700NG 130k p/w lease 68 seats = 3400AS$ in profit
CRJ 900NG 157.5k p/w lease 80 seats = 3650 AS$ in profit
CRJ1000EL 162.5k p/w lease 92 seats = 4150 AS$ in profit
Its a case of if the CRJ700 is too small for a route - then why would you chose the 900 over the 1000?
It also largely depends on how you want to configure seats. There's no good configuration for Leisure Plus seats in the 700, so if you insist on Leisure Plus (like me), the CRJ900 is a better choice. It also allows you to have more of a business class.
The CRJ900 only has slightly more fuel consumption, but with nicer/more seats, it's payed for. I might prefer a 700 for certain, very low demand routes though.
Two other considerations:
1. CRJ700 can use much shorter runways than CRJ900/1000
2. CRJ700 turnaround time is 10-15 minutes shorter than CRJ900/1000 (depending on airport)
Both of these can affect your choice as the CRJ700, while less profitable, may be able to operate routes/schedules that its larger cousins cannot.
The issue with the CR9 is the relative high capital/leasing cost per seat compared to the CR7 and CRK