I'm confused by the constant reference to the FAA looking after their own industry. It was a Boeing involved after all. Are they hoping that BA will change the 744 fleet for 777's or something
Nobody is buying 747-400s. Very few orders so far for the 747-800/900. Lots of orders for the 777. Lots of orders for A340s and A380s. See whats going on here? The FAA would like to eliminate any commercial advantage to operating a quad over a twin by extending ETOPS times and imposing onerous restrictions on quads. This skews the aircraft market in favour of Boeing. The FAA has a mandate to promote the airline industry.