MD80 CREW THINKS HAVING AN OVERWATER EQUIPPED ACFT WOULD PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FLEXIBILITY WITH WX; WHILE OPERATING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AREA.

Narrative

WAS DISPATCHED MIA-DFW ON A NON OVERWATER MD80. TSTMS FROM THE OHIO VALLEY; ALL THE WAY TO THE GULF COAST. LOOKED AT THE RADAR PICTURE IN OPS AND HOPED TO GET AN OVERWATER ACFT; BUT WAS RELEASED WITH A NON OVERWATER MD80. TALKED TO DISPATCH ABOUT THE TSTMS AND ASKED IF WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THROUGH THE TSTMS. DISPATCH SAID THAT THEY APPEARED TO BE BREAKING UP A BIT; SO OFF TO DFW WE WENT. AS WE WERE SW OF SZW; IT WAS BECOMING APPARENT THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO STAY S OF THE FLORIDA/ALABAMA COAST TO STAY CLR OF THE TSTMS; YET TRYING TO STAY WITHIN 50 MI OF THE COAST. WE ENDED UP APPROX 65 MI S OF SJI; WHICH WE CALCULATED TO BE APPROX 35-40 MI OFFSHORE; BUT STILL WITHIN THE FAR LIMITATIONS. WE ALSO ASKED ATC TO KEEP AN EYE ON US AS WE WANTED TO STAY WITHIN 50 MI OF THE COAST IF POSSIBLE. LONG STORY SHORT; IT ENDED UP WORKING OUT. HOWEVER; HAD AN OVERWATER ACFT BEEN USED; WE WOULD HAVE ONLY DONE 1 MINOR DEV IN THE AREA NEAR HRV. THIS LINE OF WX HAD BEEN MARCHING ACROSS THE MIDWEST FOR THE 2 PREVIOUS DAYS AND I THOUGHT THAT SOMEONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT OVERWATER ACFT MIGHT COME IN HANDY FOR THE AFTERNOON OF NOV/SUN/02 AND THE MORNING OF NOV/MON/02 FOR OPS FROM CITIES IN FLORIDA TO DFW. I KNOW ABOUT THE WHOLE ACFT ROUTING FOR MAINT; ETC; BUT IT WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE TO DEDICATE THE MD80'S THAT ARE OVERWATER EQUIPPED TO OPERATE SOMEWHAT EXCLUSIVELY FOR CITY PAIRS THAT CAN USE THE GULF ARR RTES; NOT ONLY FOR MAX OPERATIONAL FLEXIBILITY; BUT FOR FUEL SAVINGS AS WELL?