Well, I’m glad to know I’m not the only one working this weekend. Seems like the Qantas executive team spent the weekend evaluating last week’s 11th-hour proposals from Boeing and Airbus. That’s according to The Australian http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17533315%255E23349,00.html, which had the great idea of interviewing Qantas pilots to see which way they think the Kangaroo should hop. The result? Pilots are split, but those who favor Boeing planes REALLY favor Boeing.
Key Quote: “Some pilots believe the Europeans have given computers and automatic systems too much authority over how the planes fly. Captain (Richard) Woodward said another Airbus captain had described flying the aircraft as a vote, with the computer getting more votes than the pilot.
‘The purists days of aviation are gone, the days when the pilot is relying on his so-called stick-and-rudder skills to fly the aeroplane are gone,” he said. … ‘The technique of flying an Airbus is to make an input and wait and see what happens, then make another input and wait and see what happens.’”
Lest we forget, the Qantas board will meet again Wednesday to discuss bids for up to 100 long-haul jets.
Meanwhile, that long-delayed Air India deal may finally get concluded this week, Press Trust of India reports. http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/1BFE3E93B1CE4F28652570D40017F4CD?OpenDocument
Way back in January, the government-owned airline agreed to buy 50 777s and 787s for its international service, plus another 18 737s for a subsidiary, Air India Express. But the deal had to get a series of approvals from a whole lot of different government boards and agencies. The last step is getting formal cabinet approval, and according to reports on Sunday …
Key Quote: “The Union Cabinet’s approval for purchase of 68 Boeing aircraft for Air India was expected in a day or two, the airlines’ Chairman and Managing Director V Thulasidas said today.”
Interesting note: The deal is worth about $9.6 billion at list prices, but the airline chairman told reporters that AI will pay about $7 billion — a discount of about 27 percent.
Finally, back on this side of the International Dateline, The Chicago Tribune took a l-o-n-g look Sunday http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-0512100280dec11,1,1251740.story?coll=chi-business-hed at how the problems U.S. airlines are facing have made the Asia/Pacific region a key battleground in the Airbus/Boeing marketshare war.
Key Quote: “About one-third of the 825 firm orders Boeing has received come from Asia-Pacific carriers, not including the 70 Chinese commitments last month. Five years ago, following a financial crisis in Southeast Asia, the region’s carriers accounted for 10 percent of Boeing’s order book. Asia is more important to Airbus, as nearly half of its 687 orders have come from the region.”
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