Leeham News and Analysis
There's more to real news than a news release.
Leeham News and Analysis
- The BWB has a long way to go before flying passengers, freight May 12, 2025
- Bjorn’s Corner: Air Transport’s route to 2050. Part 21. May 9, 2025
- Does an A220-500 need a new wing and engines? Part 2. May 8, 2025
- Embraer downplays tariff impact on 2025 results May 6, 2025
- JetZero readies effort for private equity fund raising May 5, 2025
Vote for the Worst Airplane/Airport Movie
The nominations are in. Now it’s time to vote for the Worst Airplane/Airport Movie. There is a separate poll for the Best Airplane/Airport Movie. A few movies appear on both lists, reflecting a difference in opinions.
We’re going to hide the results until voting is complete.
Nominations Wanted for the Best airliner/airport type movie
Let’s lighten up over the Christmas holiday and get some good reader participation.
How about submitting as many nominations as you want for the Best Movies involving airliners and/or airports. These can be as recent as Denzel Washington’s “Flight” or as old as…whatever.
These can be dramas such as The High and the Mighty or spoofs such as Airplane. We’re also going to allow Island in the Sky, which although a war movie used DC-3s/C-47s, which of course are airliners. The Terminal is an example of an “airport” movie. The Castaway, while having an airplane a key element and having a major scene at the Memphis Airport, isn’t really a movie that falls into either category.
Make your case in nominating these movies. When it appears nominations have petered off, we’ll compile them into a poll for voting.
We also have a separate poll for the Worst Airplane Movie.
Nominations Wanted for the Worst airplane/airport movies
Let’s lighten up over the Christmas holiday and get some good reader participation.
How about submitting as many nominations as you want for the Worst Movies involving airliners and/or airports. These can be as recent as Denzel Washington’s “Flight” or as old as…whatever.
These can be dramas such as Airport 77 or Airport 79: The Concorde or spoofs such as Airplane 2. Or they can be really ridiculous plots such as Snakes on a Plane. (You can guess a few of our nominations for Worst Airplane Movies….)
Make your case in nominating these movies. When it appears nominations have petered off, we’ll compile them into a poll for voting.
We also have Nominations for the Best Airplane/Airport movies.
Odds and Ends: Mystery Photo #7; Ipad father; SPEEA ups strike prep; end of the world
This is the start of Christmas weekend (none of this “Happy Holidays” stuff) and we don’t expect much news between now and the first of the year. But we’re around and may post if so inspired.
Here’s Mystery Photo #7: What is the artist rendering of this flying machine?
IPad Father: And since it is Christmas and some of us old poops might be getting some newfangled toys, this video is instructive.
SPEEA Ups Strike Prep: And a Happy New Year to you, Boeing: SPEEA is increasing its preparations for a strike beginning Feb. 1. See this story. We hope somehow cooler heads prevail on both sides.
The end of the World: Today, of course, is the end of the world, according to the Mayan calendar–or so some proclaim. CNN Travel has these suggestions in keeping with this spirit. And y’all think we have a warped sense of things.
And here was the forecast for today:
Boeing’s Charleston land buy is bad news for Washington State
Update, Dec. 21: A story on this topic:
Charleston Post-Courier: a much longer, in-depth piece than its original report linked below.
Original Post:
Boeing has agreed to buy a lot more land in Charleston (SC) to expand its plant there over time.
Illustrations via Charleston Post-Courier.
We believe Boeing is preparing to eventually locate new airplane programs in Charleston rather than Washington State. This would be the successor to the 737 MAX, potentially the 777X and we would not be at all surprised to see the 787-10 assembled in Charleston.
The contentious SPEEA negotiations aren’t going to help matters. We also believe Washington’s strict environmental laws are a factor, which seem on a track to get stricter with the move to clean up Puget Sound to save the fish.
Our estimated timeline is over the next 10-20 years (sooner if the 787-10 is placed in Charleston).
This is entirely our assessment–we can’t say we know anything about this. But the old adage is that if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it’s a duck. And this sure quacks to us.
American to decide on merger Jan. 9, Bloomberg says
American Airlines’ Board of Directors will meet on Jan. 9 to decide whether to merge with US Airways, according to this report by Bloomberg News.
The outcome, of course, has ramifications beyond those employees of both airlines. These include, in no particular order:
- A shift in the oneworld and Star Alliances. US Airways is part of the Star Alliance, though its route system is hardly a key part. Since US says it will adopt the AA name, look for US to move into the oneworld alliance. An AA-US merger strengthens AA’s East Coast reach, but other than this we’ve not seen a great deal of routes that US brings to AA. On the other hand, AA brings a lot more to US.
- Airports will see revisions to facilities as both airlines consolidate.
- Some cities will see reductions in service as duplications are eliminated.
- If the US management is the one that emerges in charge (as we hope), then this will be a major plus for the future of the new American Airlines. If AA’s management is the survivor, we’re much less sanguine about AA’s future.
- Airbus and Boeing should both benefit. Before bankruptcy, American placed orders for hundreds of current generation A320s and 737NGs as well as the re-engined models. US has a large order for A320ceos and A330s, but no A320neos. American’s fleet replacement need is so large that it probably needs both single-aisle OEMs. We could see some adjustment in the orders, which never were firmed up, and taking into account the US outstanding orders. But we’d be surprised if the new AA were to cancel entirely American’s Airbus or Boeing orders.
- Nor do we see US canceling its A350 orders in favor of AA’s outstanding 777 order. US is one of the remaining A350-800 customers and this might be upgraded to the A350-900. But we think there was a fair chance of this happening anyway.
Odds and Ends: Top 10 stories in 2012; A400M; C919 “orders”
Top 10 Stories in 2012: Here’s a piece we did for CNN International on the Top 10 stories, David Letterman style, for 2012.
Airbus A400M: Airbus claims it’s ready to go. First deliveries slated for next summer.
C919–orders, no deposits: How firm are the 380 “orders” for the COMAC C919? Good question. According to a Chinese media report via this Western news story, there are no deposits for the “orders.”
Washington State’s Signal to Boeing: Gov. Christine Gregoire, in her final budget (see leaves office next month), put $25m in for aerospace training and STEM education. The Puget Sound Business Journal explains the significance of this.
Update (already): Seems Mobile (AL) is put out we didn’t include the Airbus announcement of a production plant there in our Top 10. Over at CNN, a reader commented that the Delta Air Lines purchase of an oil refinery was worthy. Feel free to add your comments about what should have (or should not have) been included in this list.