Posted on 05/02/2003 4:17:04 PM PDT by PoisedWoman
Dear (PoisedWoman),
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,
Jean Haskell
JetBlue Customer Commitment
Not just France, Airbus is a consortium of several socialist European governments and Euro corporations. Jet Blue is getting 65 new aircraft from Airbus at 0 interest and no payments due until five years after delivery. Not to mention the lower price vis a vis comparable Boeing aircraft. Small wonder Jet Blue is flying Airbus aircraft. As far as the Airbus being French, they are only assembled in France from sub-assemblies and components built in 16 other nations, including the US, the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, China, and others.
My son is a pilot with a major air carrier and now flies A320s and A319s. He previously flew Boeing 727s, and he says the Airbus is like an '03 Lexus compared to the mid-1960s designed 727. Of course the newer Boeings are as good or better than anything built anywhere, but they haven't much more claim to being American made than the Airbus has to being French made. The Airbus aircraft he flies are powered by General Electric fanjet engines and contain many American-made components. Some current production Boeings are powered by Rolls Royce engines, and Boeing also uses many sub-assemblies and other components built offshore. Including some major airframe sub-assemblies built in Communist China.
Personally, I would much rather my son was flying planes built in America with all American components, but in today's world that just isn't a realistic preference. Right now I'm just glad he still has a job with the most stable company of all the large carriers. Those who are advocating a boycott of Jet Blue must want to see another American air carrier go out of business and thousands more Americans put out of a job. I'm as disgusted with the obnoxious French as anyone, but I never thought that cutting off my nose to spite my face is a good idea.
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