If U.S. airlines buy subsidized aircraft from Airbus, then the French taxpayer is effectively subsidizing either the U.S. airlines directly (through reduced capital costs) or U.S. air passengers indirectly (through lower air fares than they would have had with "more expensive" Boeing aircraft). If I'm the French taxpayer, you can bet I'd be asking myself why I'm paying 50% of my salary in income taxes and $4 per gallon for gasoline just so Americans can fly to Disney World on a regular basis.