Originally Posted by
Torquelink
Having worked closely on the evaluation of the CS300 and flown in it many times, I think it will be a great success - not on the scale of the A320 or 737 families perhaps but certainly in comparison to E Jets and even the CRJ series. Airbus concluded that the economics of the aircraft are genuinely superior to the A319neo and that the seat/sector cost was even within a few percentage points of the A320neo. And wait until you fly in it - seat width, window size and noise levels make you realise just how 20th century the A320 and, particularly, the 737 are. To get into such a programme for free and knowing that they can take up to 50% cost out of supplied equipment while adding sales to jack up the production rate - thus further reducing cost - was a no-brainer. Flight deck commonality would have been great but, in the overall scheme of things, not that important.
It certainly has all the marks of being the deal of the century in the aviation business, Airbus acquiring a stake of the C series. Boeing's corporate strategy now looks ridiculous in comparison to Airbus's. To catch up Boeing are going to have to do something pretty spectacular (the C Series is indeed very good), and they're going to have to pay for it one way or other. They've just pumped several billion into a merger with Embraer. They're still not making the right noises about properly competing over the long term against the A321neo + whatever variants Airbus dreams up, and yet that's another whole development program Boeing have got to pay for.
Boeing have let Airbus have another very easy ride, just like they let the A320 have a very easy ride over the past 25, 30 years. Somehow in this sector at least Airbus seems to not have to spend hardly anything and yet ends up with the best planes, whereas Boeing seem hell bent on not spending anything at all and are inevitably ending up with the worst planes.
I am mystified as to why the Boeing company has been allowed to be a miserable failure in its corporate strategy. Is it a symptom of short term share price concerns trumping all other considerations? Probably. Pride? Certainly Airbus seems to have had zero corporate cultural problems in admitting that another company has made a superior product, and Boeing seemingly didn't make the same admission and accept the implications when Bombardier offered them a share some while ago. Lack of cash? I mean, had Boeing back in 1995 set out to make an aircraft better than the A320, there would not now be any A320s flying today or being built and sold for a profit.
If they carry on like that for a few more decades, the USA is going to wake up one day and find Boeing is no longer there...