Odds and Ends: Airbus and Boeing BBJs; Oops by Sen. Cantwell; positive SPEEA talks

MAX BBJs: Boeing is offering 737-8/9 MAX BBJs but not, as yet, a 7 MAX BBJ. Boeing says it is still studying a 7 MAX BBJ. there have so far been no orders for the 7 MAX.

Airbus ACJ A318: Airbus says it’s offering an enhanced A318 Airbus Corporate Jet. Improvements are mainly to the interior, though the press release says, “These include Sharklets on the wingtips, which make the aircraft look nicer….” The Boeing and Airbus announcements were at the NBAA trade show.

Oops by Cantwell: Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) is running for reelection. One of her TV ads is called The Hub, in which she promotes Washington State as the Hub for aerospace and her work in Congress on behalf of Boeing.

Only there was a big Oops in the first version: it opened with stock footage of US Airways Airbus A320s. Not only were these not Boeing airplanes, US Airways hasn’t ordered a Boeing since Steve Wolf was CEO–nor has America West, now combined with US Airways, ordered a Boeing aircraft since the 757.

The ad ran for some time on KING 5 (NBC-Seattle) until it was scrubbed and replaced with opening stock footage of a Boeing 767.

All YouTube videos containing the Airbuses have been “removed by the user.” Here is the revised ad.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8KV3mh9sp8&w=560&h=315]

Someone in Cantwell’s campaign really muffed this one.

Positive SPEEA talks: Last Friday, Boeing and SPEEA each released statements indicating negotiations have taken a positive turn. The Seattle Times sums it up here.

11 Comments on “Odds and Ends: Airbus and Boeing BBJs; Oops by Sen. Cantwell; positive SPEEA talks

  1. “These include Sharklets on the wingtips, which make the aircraft look nicer….”

    Is that a joke?

  2. Airbus Corporate Jet press release obviously written by a marketing type with next to no engineering knowledge.

    Strange that the press didn’t report on the ad SNAFU. Could understand why King 5 might not run with it but what about the Post-Intelligencer, the Seattle Times or even the other TV stations like KOMO 4 or KIRO 7?

    Not interesting enough or is Seattle that strong a Democratic stronghold?

  3. From what I understand specially the PW1100 GTF will be much quieter then the current engines. That means real additional comfort when talking/ sleeping and opportunities to fly to city airports during hours while stringent noise requirements are in place.

    Not sure how much 10-15% fuel cost reduction plays out in BBJ/CJ total costs of ownership. I can imagine it could be marginal.. Fuel reduction & environment look good defending the “business case” management makes to order a spanking new jet for themselves though..

    • From what I understand specially the PW1100 GTF will be much quieter then the current engines. That means real additional comfort when talking/ sleeping and opportunities to fly to city airports during hours while stringent noise requirements are in place.

      GTF is Stage 4 minus 20dB. The analogy PW gave us to put this in layman’s terms is standing on a street corner when a semi-truck goes by followed by a car.

  4. Pingback: Loyalty is a one-way street at Boeing | Leeham News and Comment

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