I also wanted to comment on the observation that we cannot afford to not take up the 787 orders: that is true on two levels. We allegedly have a trigger price that is so low that we would make money through arbitrage in even the most dire circumstances. So even if we ordered them for someone else, to their spec, we would make welcome profits.
The other, oddly orthodox observation is: we have no other viable option. We cannot get 777 aircraft soon enough to make a difference, nor in large enough numbers. That is a game for 2021 at the earliest...two generations of MBA grads in the future. The same is true for the viable versions of the A350.
Despite its smallish payload, the 787-9 could be a bridge to the future...our option book is big enough to sell a few slots and still take enough hulls to actually expand the airline while our 2022 aeroplanes are being built.
On the other hand my wife may be slipping Prozac into my tea. Reckon?