DozyWannabe
100% agree about flight deck commonality. I realised I forget to mention that aspect after posting. Never the less, it makes any redesign even more expensive because it has to be applied across more aircraft types.
RetiredF4
I agree that Boeing will apply lessons learned from Airbus' experience to arrive at a better system. Once any system has been proved to grant a commercial advantage, all manufacturers jump on the bandwagon. There is no doubt that sidesticks and fly by wire offer a huge reduction in mechanical complexity by avoiding the need for multiple control cable and hydraulic pipe runs to the cockpit. Problems occur when the controls are operated in a way that the designers never envisaged and instruments fail to display information because the readings are outside predicted design parameters.
Commercial aviation is very safe and ultimately any further safety improvements will need to be justified in commercial terms. It all comes down to the value placed on a human life, and it is surprising low, generally between £5,000 and £50,000 sterling per fatality. The real cost to the individuals and their bereaved families is of course incalculable.