JetBlue Snubs U.S. Aircraft Companies for the French

When JetBlue Airways Corp. recently announced that it had ordered 65 A320 aircraft from the French Airbus company, with options for 50 more, a lot of the boycott-France folks got up in arms - none more so than a former Capitol Hill staffer who helped write the FAA rules, which were designed to discourage such foreign airliner purchases in the first place.

JetBlue's newly ordered aircraft will be delivered starting in 2004. In addition to the 41 aircraft in service, JetBlue already had 46 A320s on order. With the latest French order, JetBlue's fleet could grow to as many as 202 French-made A320 jetliners by 2012.

"I was one of the congressional staffers who wrote the FAA Reauthorization that changed the rules at the slot-controlled airports. One of the conditions I put in the law was that the allocation of the slots would be based on the maximum contribution to America?s aviation system/infrastructure.

"This was meant to ensure that slots would go from those controlled airports to cities where there would be lots of passengers or to hubs because they will connect to many other cities, and, finally, it was meant to require carriers to buy American airplanes.

"When one writes laws - especially authorization laws - one cannot be as specific as appropriators can where they make earmarks. Well, Clinton's DOT [Department of Transportation chief] Rodney Slater allowed JetBlue to get the slots - knowing they were going to buy French jets.

"A number of my fellow staffers - who worked on the law and had left the Hill - complained that the JetBlue decision was not within the spirit of the law: It was neither going to maximize passenger benefits nor buy American. But as we all know, the fidelity of the Clinton administration to the letter of the law was just not possible.

"Our complaints fell on deaf ears. Here is just another illustration of the Clinton's "empowering" our enemies by inaction or insufficient action.?

JetBlue, a low-fare, low-cost passenger airline that launched operations in February 2000, features roomy leather seats equipped with free live satellite television. Its travel agents work from their home computers.

The airline is doing well in a notoriously slow market, but not well enough to routinely rub its French connection in the face of an American public still stinging from that country's antics before, during and after Operation Iraqi Freedom.

For its part, Airbus is careful to point out in its press releases that each order for its aircraft means a boost to the U.S. economy, as Airbus spends some 40 percent of its procurement budget with hundreds of suppliers in more than 40 U.S. states. "In 2002 alone, Airbus spent $5.5 billion in U.S. contracts - more than it spent in any other country. Using U.S. Department of Commerce figures, that dollar amount translates into Airbus support of 120,000 American jobs."

Airbus prefers to tout not its its made-in-France airframe but its plans to build the world's largest jetliner: a double-decker that will hold 555 passengers, 35 percent more than Boeing's 33-year-old 747.

Meanwhile, Airbus chief executive Noel Forgeard sits in his top-floor office by the airport in Toulouse, France, watching Europe's largest building taking shape across the runway. The new factory is the venue where the giant passenger jet will be constructed, thanks in generous measure to JetBlue.

"As JetBlue continues to conquer the odds, their repeated choice of Airbus aircraft proves that efficiency on all levels, including equipment and operations, is a must for an airline's continuing health. With this [latest] order, JetBlue demonstrates that with the right people, the right product and the right cost structure, airlines can grow, even in this current, challenging, environment."

Not feeling so warmly are upset Americans who are sending e-mails to JetBlue voicing concern about its cozy relationship with Airbus.

One example: "Has anyone told JetBlue that there is an American company located over there in Everett, Washington that makes perfectly good airplanes"?

Many "American" autos are not actually "made" in the USA, just as france is not the only country involved in Airbus manufacturing.

JetBlue appears to have tapped the secret to airline profitability - benefitting the U.S. economy by offering low-cost, dependable transportation moreso than the other airlines which the government has to bail out these failing monstrosities which drain the economy.

Oddly enough, they even answer the letters they receive...

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Dear JetBlue [DearJetBlue@jetblue.com]
Re: e-mail received Wednesday, 04/30/03 7:44 AM, Speak Up 382703

Dear Mr. Farmer,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our choice of the Airbus A320 aircraft.

Airbus is, in fact, not a French company. It is a European organization owned by British, Spanish, French and German concerns. While the A320 is assembled in France, Airbus also operates numerous manufacturing and assembly plants throughout Europe and spends more money with suppliers in the U.S. than in any other country. In 2002 alone, Airbus spent $5.5 billion in the U.S., supporting 120,000 American jobs at hundreds of companies located across some 40 U.S. states.

As an airline that calls New York City home, we are very sensitive to the patriotic measures and sacrifices of Americans in these difficult times. We, like you, look forward to a time in the not too distant future when the international cooperation that goes into building our aircraft finds its way into world affairs.

Sincerely,

Angela Jones
JetBlue Customer Commitment

Original Message Follows:

Customer name: Doc Farmer
Message: I understand that your company is purchasing Airbus aircraft from the French. Considering their support of the Saddam Hussein regime, and their actions against US interests, and the fact that they're nothing but a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys, I would respectfully ask you to reconsider. You'd be much better off with Boeing aircraft (and I don't work for them, by the way), and at least you'd be buying American.

If you decide to go ahead with your purchase, please note that I will do everything I can to avoid your airline when I'm back in the States.

Many thanks.

Doc Farmer
Doha, Qatar

I was just reading about the future of Boeing this morning....Boeing planes in the future are just going to be put together by supplier-based sections, and those suppliers will likely be located in countries (ASIAN) that purchase the planes. The big debate is if the entire production will be moved to Kansas, with these sections supplied by rail....or if the company can get enough breaks from the State of Washington to keep production there.

I agree with the points here that JetBlue went with Airbus long ago due to lack of production space at Boegin...just like Southwest with the 737.

I bet all these Buy American nay-sayers would be shocked to see how much Canadian and Mexican (both against our war effort) parts are in their "American" cars.

<< The 777 is the only current Boeing jet that can stand on it's own merits against Airbus. All the rest are only sellable because so many airlines already have invested in those fleets. >>

The Mercedes Benz has until fairly recently been a consitently "better" car than a Chevrolet.

The Mac is and has always been a far better computer than a "PC" whose name, even, was stolen from Jobs and Co.

And as one who has logged several thousand hours in both companies' products I can attest to the fact that even the Douglas DC-10-30 through MD-11 aeroplane was a top-of-the-line Mercedes when compared, until the late Dash 400 Series anyway, to Mr Boeing's 747.

But most of the world very comfortably goes to work in its Chevvy and sits at its PC and flies off to the ends of the Earth in its Boeings [Even though Europe's taxpayers aren't being coerced into also paying for them] -- which have the added advantage, for my money, of being American.

And that, I believe, at least insofar as our being FRee To Choose is concerned -- is what this thread is about. For some of US it seems that choice extends to seeing FRance as Our Nation's enemy and to directly and indirectly not supporting its very-largely-government-owned industries.

N'est ce Pas?

Best ones -- Brian

[And just as soon as I can find anyone who wants to buy them I am selling both my old Pugs, my 16 TX Renault and my beautiful Citroen DS-23 Super 5!]

Bump/Ping

<< From the perspective of 23 years of experience maintaining aircraft: I will take a Boeing over an Airbus any day. Boeings are much more user-friendly for the mechanic. Whenever I have to make a "MX house-call" the last aircraft that my eyes want to see on that tarmac is an Airbus. The airframe, in general, is a nightmare to work around--too damn high off the deck, although the flightdeck is laid out superbly well. Everything is fly-by-wire now, and that is the most troubling aspect--no solid connections between the pilot and the flight controls. (Experience: B707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767; Lockheed L1011; DC8, DC9, MD80; Airbus A300, A310, A320) >>

Well said.

With a time-span of 45 years since I was issued my Student Pilot Licence, 44 since my PPL, 43 years since Air Force ab initio, 42 since CPL, 40 since ATPL and an hour or two spent driving most of them, I'm with you.

Boeing is better by far and even a cursory look at the world's accident reports bears out that [1] Airbus "sells" airplanes too casually and to operators not worthy of that description and [2] Airbus's fly by wire systems have been the primary cause of way too many accidents and -- created to a "dumbest-common-denominator" [See [1] above] standard -- can prevent and have prevented Real Pilots [As opposed to most of today's low-bidder-in-pilot-costume arcade-gamer substitutes] from recovering from what should be only INCIPIENT-accident flight conditions.

Best ones -- Brian

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