PricingAbout 1 hour

How to Quote a Wide Body Aircraft Detail

Quoting a wide body aircraft is more complex than quoting a corporate jet. The scope is bigger, the operational requirements are stricter, and the margin pressure is real. This guide walks through the seven steps that produce a defensible wide body quote.

CoreOP Pricing Desk

Pricing Strategy and Quoting

Published 2026-04-27, updated 2026-04-28

Wide body quotes that are too low lock you into low margin work for the duration of a maintenance cycle. Wide body quotes that are too high lose the work to a competitor who is more careful with the math. Either failure mode is expensive. The discipline below produces consistent wide body quotes that win the right work at the right margin.

Steps

Step 110 minutes
Collect aircraft details
Capture aircraft type, tail number, age, paint type, brightwork extent, and current condition. For wide body work, also capture engine type, configuration, last detail date, and the operator's documentation requirements. Wide body operators often have specific protocols you must follow that affect timeline and cost.
Step 220 minutes
Conduct a walk around assessment
On site walk around is required for wide body quotes. Photograph the aircraft at standard angles. Note paint condition, brightwork oxidation level, interior wear, and any pre existing damage. The walk around becomes part of the quote and protects both sides if scope changes after the quote is approved.
Step 35 minutes
Identify scope
Define the scope explicitly. Exterior only. Exterior plus interior. Full restoration including paint correction. Each scope tier has its own price. Get the operator to commit to a scope before you build the price. The most common wide body quote failure is producing a price for vague scope and finding out the operator wanted more than was quoted.
Step 410 minutes
Calculate crew size and timeline
Wide body work requires three to eight person crews depending on scope. A standard exterior clean takes a four person crew six to ten hours. A full detail takes a six person crew two to three days. A full restoration with paint correction takes a six to eight person crew three to five days. Build the timeline carefully because labor cost is the largest line item.
Step 510 minutes
Apply your pricing model with wide body adjustments
Wide body pricing should reflect the operational complexity, not just the surface area. Apply your standard pricing matrix and then add a complexity multiplier of 1.25x to 1.75x for wide body work. Include equipment rental costs as a separate line item if the job requires powered lifts or specialized equipment.
Step 63 minutes
Generate the PDF quote with line items
Build the quote with explicit line items. Crew labor by category. Materials. Equipment rental. Documentation. Travel and lodging if applicable. The line item structure makes the quote defensible and gives the operator clear visibility into what they are paying for. Use CoreOP's quote builder to generate the branded PDF in under five minutes once the math is done.
Step 72 minutes
Send and follow up
Send the PDF with a tracked link. Follow up on day three with a check in. Follow up on day seven with a final reminder. Wide body quotes typically take two to four weeks to close because multiple stakeholders are involved. Patience and disciplined follow up are required. Operators who pressure the close on wide body work usually lose the relationship before the contract is signed.