Air travel, which for economy-class passengers gets ever more cramped and unpleasant, is at least poised to become more interesting

National Review, August 9, 2004

* Air travel, which for economy-class passengers gets ever more cramped and unpleasant, is at least poised to become more interesting. Boeing and Airbus are going head to head in a fierce struggle for world supremacy. Airbus is taking orders for the A380, a double-decked, four-aisled, 555-passenger behemoth that only major hub airports like London, New York, and Frankfurt can accommodate.

Boeing, on the other hand, is introducing the long-range, midsize, 250-seat 7E7 ("Dreamliner") for direct point-to-point flights between second-tier regional airports--which means reaching more destinations with fewer connections. Boeing and Airbus--long mortal enemies--are gambling on two very different business strategies, and the pot, if measured by how much airlines are expected to spend on new passenger craft, is estimated at some $2 trillion over the next 20 years. Accordingly, both manufacturers are fighting to grab airline orders from each other: At the recent Farnborough International Air Show, for instance, Airbus flattened Boeing by announcing a 36-plane order from Abu Dhabi, though Boeing says it too may enter the superjumbo race by "stretching" the venerable 747. Marking the end of a three-year downturn in air travel, such competition--red in tooth and claw--can in the end only be good for consumers.