Intl Capacity Cuts and A330

[BoeingBoy]

Parker and Kirby have both said that Airbus would probably be the source of financing for the 5 A330's coming this year. Putting more A330's on firm order is the price US has to pay to get the financing this year, like the A350 order was the price of getting a loan from Airbus after BK2.

Jim

 

[Travelpro72]

Well for what it's worth Parker certainly DID go to CDG the other night. Seat 1A I believe. Whether he was doing a private tour of the Eiffel Tower, strolling the French countryside or making a pit stop at airbus is anyone's guess.

 

[700UW]

I heard Hemenway called him about negotiations and Doug said "Let them eat cake!"

 

[PHL]

Well for what it's worth Parker certainly DID go to CDG the other night. Seat 1A I believe. Whether he was doing a private tour of the Eiffel Tower, strolling the French countryside or making a pit stop at airbus is anyone's guess.

I recall a year or so ago reading here that DP went to Rome with his family and was offered Envoy, but he declined and flew em all in coach. And yet, the A330-300 Y product is still horrendous. I guess he figured that if he and his family could endure it, so could anyone...

 

[does this plane go to paris]

Maybe back when, but B6 has bought a vast majority (if not all) new metal. It's wishful thinking that these kinds of games would keep competition out, and exactly the mindset that allows the creative thinkers to thrive at the expense of the legacy carriers.

Way back when, in 1971 a little start up in Texas, Southwest Airlines, got 3 brand new Boeings and they seem to have made their way in the world. The original intent was to fly Eletra L-188's. The airline industry was in a slump and Boeing gave them great financing.

 

[BlackTail]

I recall a year or so ago reading here that DP went to Rome with his family and was offered Envoy, but he declined and flew em all in coach. And yet, the A330-300 Y product is still horrendous. I guess he figured that if he and his family could endure it, so could anyone...

I wonder if his family has to pay the 100 dollars each way to upgrade to Envoy like the rest of us?? Maybe he didn't wanna fork over the money for an upgrade since it wasn't "cost neutral"

 

[galley princess]

Regarding the new A330-200's. Does anyone know if they're going to cure the rear galley?

A sadist designed it.

Again, under the heading:

HAPPY EMPLOYEES = HAPPY CUSTOMERS ---------can someone with a brain realize that putting lavatory doors in front of jumpseats leaves coach flight attendants with nowhere to sit and watch the cabin?

I am one of those flight attendants that thinks it just kind of looks bad for a working crewmember to sit in the last row. First, it looks like I'm slacking, second, I can't see the call bell panel, third, I am jumping up to see what the pax is doing BEHIND ME, so I am really not sitting anyway. Finally, it is out of the question to actually sit on an atlas in the A330 galley, since it's a balmy 40 degrees F.

US, as usual, never actually thinks about HOW a crew is supposed to co-exist with the passengers and use an airplane for an optimal service at the same time. I'd love to see Tempe denizens do a Rome trip with all Romans on the A330. They'd cry for mercy after the first two hours. SOME companies actually consider how an airplane set up is going to work for the people who actually work on it.

Exhibits A and B: A330 and 757 International. To be fair, the A330 is not the desert people's fault. That was Wolfe and Co. The acquired and adapted 757s --their fault.


Hopefully this administration will finally cover F/As with OSHA. When that happens, they'll have to do something about the arctic galleys. In the meantime, since I do not intend to to Tel Aviv, I won't see the new plane much, but for our F/As on that flight: FIX THE $%*&%^ GALLEY! PUT THE (&*(^ LAV DOORS ON THE AISLE SIDE!

 

[AIRWOMAN]

Could be replacement planes for the 767s, and Doug would not need to go to Toulose, AB has several US based offices, two main ones in MIA and near IAD.

Not enough time to dissect the article........but there are HUGE differences in the business happenings at each Airbus location (there are a number of them, globally) has a different function. That article addresses AIRBUS NORTH AMERICA only. And IF they were negotiating sales/leasing, etc., it would be done at Airbus in Toulouse.

Trust me on this one. h34r:

 

[Travelpro72]

Galley Princess I'm so with you. Please let's hope that they put the doors aisle facing. How many people have you witnessed hit their heads coming out. The top of the 4L and 4R entry door sticks out. The door just makes it past the damn thing. It's cramped and is right in front of the jumpseat. When carts are out and parked on the side "as procedure" for exchange you can't get into the bathroom. Well there is hope. What else do we have really. Not a crisis to end the world but would be nice if the bathrooms were changed. If you look at seat maps from other carriers they have them in different places. When it comes to the airbus interior the skies the limit with lav/galley placement. That trap they call an ETOPS 757......oh please. More like EFLOPS. It's a mess and continues to be to this day. It could be worse I guess but it's no pleasure to work purser.

 

[ClueByFour]

Could be replacement planes for the 767s, and Doug would not need to go to Toulose, AB has several US based offices, two main ones in MIA and near IAD.

Neither of which are equipped to handle big time finance transactions. When you talk turkey with the Frenchies, you make the trip.

(yes, I've been in just about every Airbus NA facility except the training center and to a few in France. The money men are all Europe).

 

[ussnark]

Neither of which are equipped to handle big time finance transactions.

I am certain they are equipped so, if the buyer is inexperienced enough to finalize negotiations with underlings and not the principals. If you are not talking with the top dog, you are not getting the best deal. Guaranteed.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Could be replacement planes for the 767s, and Doug would not need to go to Toulose, AB has several US based offices, two main ones in MIA and near IAD.

Given this logic, if I wanted to make a deal with Doug Parker I could show up at the ticket counter at LaGuardia (or Miami, or Albuquerque, or...) and expect to find him there?

 

[ClueByFour]

I am certain they are equipped so, if the buyer is inexperienced enough to finalize negotiations with underlings and not the principals. If you are not talking with the top dog, you are not getting the best deal. Guaranteed.

Well, sure if you rolled in off the street with either a certified check for a couple of hundred million or offered to take a %15 EETC, I'm sure the locals could swing it.

For a series of widebodies at anything even approaching a good rate, it's "parlez-vous francais" and a trip over the pond.

FWIW, they do the same thing with supplier terms--you could cut the deal over here, but you might as well point the old 12-guager at your foot or wallet and pull the trigger.

 

[sfb]

Way back when, in 1971 a little start up in Texas, Southwest Airlines, got 3 brand new Boeings and they seem to have made their way in the world. The original intent was to fly Eletra L-188's. The airline industry was in a slump and Boeing gave them great financing.

Not just that, but Southwest has taken the vast majority of their planes directly from Boeing. They and Piedmont launched the 737-300, and they were the launch customer for the -700. They may also have been a lunch customer for the 737-500, though ultimately they took relatively few of those.

But they need financing for five A330s. He said they are talking to Airbus about the possibility that it might finance the plane, which the airline needs for its long-haul destinations such as Tel Aviv.
He said leases are expiring on its 10 Boeing 767s, which it uses on international flights. Replacing those with smaller planes would cut international further, if needed, he said.

One complication, though, is that the A330-200 is significantly larger than the 767-200; the 767-400 is roughly the same size as the A332. Flying those across the pond on former 762 routes will increase capacity on those routes by a good 30%. They'd have to park A330-300's or most of the 767-200's to reduce transatlantic capacity.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Southwest was not a deregulation era "upstart."

While there are exceptions to my premise (JetBlue, having started with new airplanes, being the most visible,) there were dozens of airline wannabes that came in with old, cheap airframes, caused their damage, then disappeared leaving the legacy carriers financially weakened. Some did survive, but most disappeared.