It's interesting what effect the 2008 threat of finding another engine manufacturer had on RR. I'd venture that the individuals at RR whose calculations were utilized in the earlier PBL estimates were not the same ones calculating the most recent PBL estimates.
Thank you, sir. That was the exact story I had wanted to link to with my "assertion" but failed to find it. You, of course, are on top of things and found it easily.
From the March 2008 story:
"Rolls-Royce cannot support the current strategy, Mulhern said. They are unable to recoup the cost of engine maintenance under the power-by-the-hour plan. "We'll have to move to more traditional engine support," he said.