Ships Dolphin v ASP-X for Cargo/Passengers

I'm currently exploring in a throwaway Hauler, but looking to upgrade to run passengers or cargo short range.

Currently, my two vessels of choice are the Dolphin and the ASP-X.

I've prototyped a build for both ships and found the ASP-X (unsurprisingly) to be a superior ship in almost every way.
It seems to me, however, as a passenger ship, the ASP-X falls short of the Dolphin, as the latter almost matches it for jump distance and can be outfitted with a luxury cabin.
The Dolphin is also smaller, nimbler, faster, and has better shielding.
On the other hand, if you're not taking luxury passengers - or alternatively if you are running cargo - the ASP-X can hold almost twice the capacity of the Dolphin.

So my question is (as a noob to ED), what is more profitable - a huge quantity of economy passengers, or a smaller quantity of high class passengers? Are luxury cabins even worth it?
I don't want to be travelling 2000LY for a passenger, and I'm not ready to smuggle illegals yet.

The other benefit of the ASP-X is that it is a much better all-rounder. Decisions, decisions.

I have already searched for answers elsewhere, but most topics I've found are very old and I don't know if they're relevant anymore.

I'd appreciate your advice :)

Thanks in advance, CMDRs

Varied Passengers Build:
Dolphin [https://s.orbis.zone/4bbr] - 24 LY - 17 PAX
ASP-X [https://s.orbis.zone/4bb_] - 28 LY - 30 PAX

Economy Passengers Build:
Dolphin [https://s.orbis.zone/4bbu] - 24 LY - 36 PAX
ASP-X [https://s.orbis.zone/4bc0] - 38 LY - 56 PAX

Cargo Build (do they need weapons?):
Dolphin [https://s.orbis.zone/4bbs] - 22 LY - 72 T
ASP-X [https://s.orbis.zone/4bc1] - 26 LY - 108 T

EDIT: I bought The Dolphin. It's so pretty.
 
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The Dolphin is an excellent ship, but I'm not sure I would compare it to the AspX. I would definitely compare the DBX and Dolphin, since they are both small ships, closer in purchase price, and closer in terms of cargo/passenger capacity. Of course, if you're choosing between the DBX and Dolphin, the Dolphin will be better at hauling cargo and passengers (it has more internal space) than the DBX, but the DBX will be 'better' at exploring (size 5 FSD) and combat (more firepower).

If you're looking to specialize your fleet, you may want to consider using the Dolphin exclusively for passenger missions, and pawn off the cargo hauling to a Type-6. The Type-6 is very good as an early-game cargo ship, with good cargo capacity for its price and can be very survivable when interdicted in the right hands.

For builds, I'd recommend something like this Dolphin build and this Type-6 build. Your main defence when interdicted with these builds is speed. Even when fully loaded, the Type-6 build I provided will boost to 369 m/s, and the Dolphin is even faster with its 406 m/s laden boost. This combined with dropping chaff should be more than enough to get away from the larger interdicting ships, while your shields and armour should be enough to tank whatever the smaller ships can throw at you. That said, I WOULD NOT recommend taking these ships into populated systems in open unless you have been practicing your interdiction escape skills.
 
Thanks for the builds, CMDR.

I see you’ve fitted economy class. I have been flying the dolphin for a while now and I’m finding passenger missions a little frustrating. Not the missions themselves, but the fact that I have to hope and pray that missions will be available for my cabin selection.

I’ll try economy exclusively again and see if I have any better luck.

I can actually afford the Python now, but I wanted to get a bit more use out of my dolphin.
 
Thanks for the builds, CMDR.

I see you’ve fitted economy class. I have been flying the dolphin for a while now and I’m finding passenger missions a little frustrating. Not the missions themselves, but the fact that I have to hope and pray that missions will be available for my cabin selection.

I’ll try economy exclusively again and see if I have any better luck.

I can actually afford the Python now, but I wanted to get a bit more use out of my dolphin.
The Economy cabins were used as placeholders for any class of passenger cabin. You could swap them out for business, first class, or luxury cabins if need be (although last time I checked luxury missions were EXTREMELY rare).
 
I'm currently exploring in a throwaway Hauler, but looking to upgrade to run passengers or cargo short range.

Currently, my two vessels of choice are the Dolphin and the ASP-X.

I've prototyped a build for both ships and found the ASP-X (unsurprisingly) to be a superior ship in almost every way.
It seems to me, however, as a passenger ship, the ASP-X falls short of the Dolphin, as the latter almost matches it for jump distance and can be outfitted with a luxury cabin.
The Dolphin is also smaller, nimbler, faster, and has better shielding.
On the other hand, if you're not taking luxury passengers - or alternatively if you are running cargo - the ASP-X can hold almost twice the capacity of the Dolphin.

So my question is (as a noob to ED), what is more profitable - a huge quantity of economy passengers, or a smaller quantity of high class passengers? Are luxury cabins even worth it?
I don't want to be travelling 2000LY for a passenger, and I'm not ready to smuggle illegals yet.

The other benefit of the ASP-X is that it is a much better all-rounder. Decisions, decisions.

I have already searched for answers elsewhere, but most topics I've found are very old and I don't know if they're relevant anymore.

I'd appreciate your advice :)

Thanks in advance, CMDRs

Varied Passengers Build:
Dolphin [https://s.orbis.zone/4bbr] - 24 LY - 17 PAX
ASP-X [https://s.orbis.zone/4bb_] - 28 LY - 30 PAX

Economy Passengers Build:
Dolphin [https://s.orbis.zone/4bbu] - 24 LY - 36 PAX
ASP-X [https://s.orbis.zone/4bc0] - 38 LY - 56 PAX

Cargo Build (do they need weapons?):
Dolphin [https://s.orbis.zone/4bbs] - 22 LY - 72 T
ASP-X [https://s.orbis.zone/4bc1] - 26 LY - 108 T

EDIT: I bought The Dolphin. It's so pretty.


At that capacity level, more profitable is to go for an Asp with 120t cargo (you dont need fuel scoop or dss) and do supply/delivery missions - the payment is nice once you get allied with all the factions and stack the missions so you always have the cargo full of stuff
Try to search inara/eddb for a system in outbreak. They usually have nice payed supply medicine missions.

Once you get to afford a python, you can move to robigo/sothis and stack sightseeing missions.
 
At that capacity level, more profitable is to go for an Asp with 120t cargo (you dont need fuel scoop or dss) and do supply/delivery missions - the payment is nice once you get allied with all the factions and stack the missions so you always have the cargo full of stuff
Try to search inara/eddb for a system in outbreak. They usually have nice payed supply medicine missions.

Once you get to afford a python, you can move to robigo/sothis and stack sightseeing missions.

Nice tips, thank you. I had no idea that system states affect mission types like that. Is there a guide for that kind of thing?

I've heard ceos and sothis is a good route, so I'll add robigo to that, and maybe I'll do a test run with the dolphin before buying the python, just to figure out if it's something I want to be spending some time doing.
 
I enjoy the tourist missions because they take me to interesting places and reveal some lore. I recently rigged up a DBX for passenger hauling with a size 4 business class cabin. It is heavily engineered and gets me ~60 LY jump range and runs silly amounts of cool, so I don't even need an AFMU. The last mission I took (It was a criminal. It's worth it, and easy in a cool running DBX.) brought me to the tourist spot in Zaonce and I got to learn about the history of the bank. Bulk passengers don't give you that stuff, but I can see how they could be fun if you get a kick out of driving a space bus! I'm currently running a ~25k LY famous explorer to collect data at a black hole that I've never been to before. It's a little ways past Colonia. Along the way I FSS while I scoop and so far, I've found an earthlike, a few terraformable worlds, water worlds, and a few rocks with active geologic phenomena (+30 Antimony and Yttrium so far, because of course I have an SRV). I dropped by Caravanserai in Gandharvi and sold the data from that first leg out for 20 mil. On my way back I'll probably drop by Colonia and sell that data.

My point is that I like the VIP missions, but I don't think I've ever even seen a mission that requires luxury cabins, but I don't really look for those. I ain't no fancy little dandy and my passengers shouldn't be either. ;) I ran an Orca back around the other side of the core a while back and I just bunged some first class losers into the Lux cabins...
 
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