ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how changing expectations of the airline product have been a catalyst in the development of more adaptable aircraft cabin design. In fleet planning, needs to identify links between the aircraft and airline brands. The large civil aircraft manufacturing business is in the hands of two players, Airbus and Boeing, and the market is fairly evenly split between them. Both Airbus and Boeing offers product lines covering virtually any configuration, although some important strategic gaps needs to be filled in the future in order to maintain homogeneity of technology. Hand-in-hand with aircraft and flight crew commonality comes "dynamic fleet management", which is a flexible approach to aircraft assignments according to changes in demand levels. Commonality of technology has become increasingly important, owing to the flexibility if offers and the potential for operating cost savings, particularly in spares and crew training.
