Posted on 08/12/2004 3:36:56 PM PDT by COEXERJ145
America West Airlines Inc. placed an order for 17 Airbus planes, cementing a tentative deal for the jets struck four months ago, the European airplane maker said Thursday.
The U.S. carrier is to receive 10 new A320 planes and seven A319s starting sometime in late 2005, Airbus said.
The low-cost airline is to also lease another four A320s, and either buy or lease another in the family of aircraft as part of the deal, Airbus said. The carrier signed a tentative commitment for the order in May.
The airline, a unit of America West Holdings Corp., already has 85 of the two types of planes in its fleet. The A320s ordered are to seat 150 passengers; the A319s are to accommodate up to 124.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Send 'em Emails and let them know "heck no we won't go" on Am West Flights anymore. I just did...
Get used to it. Most of the new aircraft in anyones inventory will be foreign made. Brazil, Canada, and France now manufacture more aircraft for US carriers than Boeing..
I know. Boeing has not done the greatest job marketing to non military markets for some time now. But I'll always try to fly on a made in the USA plane. Some day, that may not be possible.
Fly Southwest: All Boeing 737's and they hustle.
America Worst makes US Air look competent
Are you serious? I wouldn't fly with those clowns even before this incident. They once drug a suitcase half a mile and wore clean through it and into the clothes inside, then, when I made a claim, responded with a straight face that "it must have been that way when checked in"!
Fat chance I'll fly with them again, but if I did, the first question I would ask is "Do your aircraft have plastic tails?"
I usually fly Southwest. Last time I flew Am West, was because they were the only airline I could get good connections on to Miami prior to a cruise. Most traveling for me is on the west coast, and Southwest is my first choice.
My opinion: Buy America or find foreigners to buy your tickets.
U.S. airlines that buy euroweenie aircraft need to shamed and shunned for not buying American-made aircraft..
What about people who buy foreign made cars?
Ok, not a problem never flying America West, because I go Southwest.
I saw the story about the Airbus a couple of nights ago on A&E. John Travolta narrated it.
Huge planes. The buildings are massive to hold them!
America needs to get ourselves together, in order to build the biggest and best airplanes. Not those from other countries and hemispheres.
These things are built in Toulous France!
Shortsighted corporation.
Oh really?
The 7E7 better be a real winner, or the US commercial air market is gonna be in baaadddd shape.
I still dunno why the 717 hasn't done better though.
Now, this order actually happened a few months back, and it is not so much a new order but a change from an older obligation to buy A318's, of which America West was to be the launch customer. But the airline, wisely decided against the 318 due to it not being the right plane for their needs, so in order to not get the 318, they needed to switch the order and get more A320's and A319's. Which is a good thing, the economies of scale will allow them to be more efficent, and allow them to do away with the much less efficient 737-200's and 737-300's in their fleet. If they wanted to buy new Boeings, they would have to get the 737NG series, and incur huge costs of adding a new type to their fleet (training, different engine types, spares, etc) that can be done much more efficiently with the A320/319 series.
You see, it ain't so easy as just yelling "buy Boeing, they are supporting the french." The airline could do something stupid like add an unnecessary model to their fleet to make you feel good, but if they had to raise fares to support the new costs, you wouldn't fly them, and they would go bankrupt, and 13,000 good jobs would be gone, and the airlines that used to compete with them would raise fares and that would suck.
Yes, AWA was the first airline to apply and recieve a loan guarrantee, not a bailout. And they have done a great job, they gave the government a good stake in their earnings,and they have made every payment back, on time, and have made a profit for the government. Plus, they have added low fare service to a few cities in the mean time.
It's getting harder tell which are foreign and which are made here. Do you have a list which would help?
Not true. American, Delta, Continental, Southwest, Alaska, American Trans Air, AirTran, and about 1/2 of United's & Northwest's fleets are Boeing and/or McDonnell Douglas. Only USScareways, America West, Frontier, JetBlue and a few other smaller U.S. carriers have or are working on an all Airbus fleet.
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