I gotta add a few things here, just 'cause some people seem to be taking this WAAAAAY too personally.
Alb, this goes mostly toward what you said (although the Boeing/Airbus debate will rage until one buys out the other):
To hold up US Airways's opting for Airbus products is a mistake. US is almost out of business, mainly through mismanagement and poor decisions. Every mainline US Airways flight I've been on has had something mechanical going wrong (both Boeing and Airbus). Same with NW. Their A330s are as bad as their A320s comfort-wise. I'd much rather fly Delta's Boeings than NW's Airbuses (And I hate Delta).
The other thing goes toward the 7E7 sidestick mockup. Have you seen the "t-tail" version of the 767? 'Cause that's the way it was originally drawn up (grew up just outside Seattle, with friends from Boeing). How about the mockups of the Sonic Cruiser? Just because you see the mockup doesn't make it a reality. Besides, Boeing already announced the 7E7 would have the usual Boeing column (or as someone would say, "a real man has something between his legs,").
One thing we do agree about, though, is that the L1011 was/is one of the greatest aircraft in the world. I only had the chance to fly on a few of them before they disappeared from the domestic skies of the USA, but every flight was a joy. And the SOUND of those turbofans was incredible...
RD