Bob Lochry wrote: In some respects the A321 is a good competitor, but in terms of takeoff performance, range and payload the 757 is really in a class all by itself. ...Here in the UK British Airways are almost done getting rid of 757s after almost 20 years and replacing them with A319/320s. The Seven Five was the aircraft used on most Manchester-LHR flights (normally 45 minutes or less in the air), as well as other domestic UK flights including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, all less than 90 minutes long. The same aircraft were used for a time (albeit with different seating plans) on JFK flights out of Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester, which goes to show the versatility of the aircraft, but I suppose its wing is too big for most of the required ranges within Europe. London to Istanbul (about the furthest European city if you count Ataturk airport on the European side of Istanbul [Baha!]) is only about four hours flying time. Jim