Efficient fleet utilization is one of the key factors in an airline's success and profitability. In this section, the Airline Data Project (ADP) demonstrates how mainline carriers have improved the use of their fleets and how the hub-and-spoke carriers typically achieve lower fleet utilization than their low-cost counterparts. While network architecture explains some of the differences, the age of a carrier's fleet also is a significant factor.

Details on carrier operating fleets found in this section include:

• The key measurements of aircraft productivity, including aircraft utilization per day, stage-length and average number of seats
• A carrier-by-carrier profile of costs associated with operating their fleets and sub fleets as defined by the ADP 
• Carrier profiles with supporting data for further analysis of other productivity and cost measurements that are not provided for in the summary charts

In keeping with the ADP’s efforts to aggregate data to ensure meaningful comparisons, fleets are broken down into the following categories:

• Small narrowbody aircraft: Typically 150 seats or less in a two-class configuration (e.g. Boeing 737-700, Airbus A319)
• Large narrowbody aircraft: Typically 151 seats or more in a two-class configuration (e.g. Boeing 737-800/900/Max 8/Max 9, Boeing 757, Airbus A321/A320 NEO/A321NEO)
• Widebody aircraft: Two-aisle configuration
• A table specifying our categorization as of June 2020 can be found here

Note: The ADP recognizes fleet age as an important metric for analysis but does not address this area. For more information, please consult data providers that specialize in fleet age.