Was Boeing Playing Chess? We Examine Why Boeing Introduced The Sonic Cruiser
Excerpt
For two years in the early 2000s, Boeing claimed that the classic engine shape it invented in the 1950s, with the engines under sweptback wings, were outdated. Instead, the airplane maker went on and on about the Sonic Cruiser which had two vertical fins, a tail first design, and cranked delta wing. It was fifteen percent faster than most jets, cruising at Mach 0.98 instead of the typical Mach .80 for most airliners.
Boeing executives made a huge deal of keeping the few customers who knew about the program silent and made a big fuss about unveiling the jet at the Paris airshow in June 2001. Boeing claimed customers would opt for speed over lower cost and would be willing to pay a premium for it, even though they cited no data as to why they believed this to be true.
When asked if the Sonic Cruiser was viable, Boeing’s commercial airline exec Alan Mulally is quoted in Air & Space Magazine as saying, “Can it be done? Absolutely! Can we do it economically? Absolutely! Is it the right thing to do for the travelers of the world? Absolutely!”
Yet at the time, analysts said the marketplace simply could not sustain two companies making superjumbo jets. Kieran Daily, of Air Transport Intelligence, told CNN, “Both of them knew in their heart of hearts that there simply isn’t the marketplace for two (super-jumbos) and in the end Boeing decided that frankly the Airbus would win and gave up leaving them free to explore another sector.”
And interestingly enough, that is exactly what happened. Airlines were suffering huge economic losses after 9-11 and needed to cut costs. Passenger count was way down and those that did fly were not willing to pay a premium. Once Boeing abandoned the Sonic Cruiser, it went on to develop the 7E7 (787) which out-sold the A380 4-to-1. Put this way, it certainly appears as if Boeing set a strategic trap for Airbus.
Boeing’s Plan Never Added Up
The A380 and Sonic Cruiser are two totally different aircraft and it is hard to figure out why one would affect the other. The Sonic Cruiser and the 787 are both mid-size aircraft. So why would that push Airbus to react in the superjumbo jet sector?
Another head-scratcher is Boeing’s 747-8, the second largest passenger plane in history, that was unveiled in 2005. If Boeing knew the superjumbos were doomed to fail, why would they introduce the 747-8 to compete with the A380? The plane had even worse sales than the A-380, with only 51 sales for the passenger version. The type is only buoyed by freighter sales. Boeing wound up with a $1 billion write off for the program.
The story surrounding this Boeing/Airbus smack down can be seen two ways.
If Boeing didn’t see a future for superjumbos, why in the world would they make the 747-8 too? Instead of strategy against rival Airbus, the Sonic Cruiser may have been simply a ploy to get Boeing more media attention at a time when they were slipping behind their arch rival.
If media attention is what Boeing sought though, it worked. To this day, both Airbus or Boeing executives decline comment on the issue. It’s a mystery that we may never solve.
urban-legend-boeings-sonic-cruiser-just ... 87-program
Sonic Cruiser - Did Boeing Fake out Airbus?
Moderators: FrankM, el, Dmmoore
Re: Sonic Cruiser - Did Boeing Fake out Airbus?
I... do not follow this line of reasoning at all...
Re: Sonic Cruiser - Did Boeing Fake out Airbus?
What reasoning?I... do not follow this line of reasoning at all...
Re: Sonic Cruiser - Did Boeing Fake out Airbus?
Slow news day?
HR consultant, Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems, Inc.
Re: Sonic Cruiser - Did Boeing Fake out Airbus?
Stranger things have happened...What reasoning?I... do not follow this line of reasoning at all...
...as have bigger conspiracy theories (and actual conspiracies).
Commercial Pilot, Vandelay Industries, Inc., Plant Nutrient Division.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: Semrush [Bot] and 6 guests