Big deals Down Under

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Boeing will present Qantas with a bid on a big fleet-replacement buy within the next two weeks, Australian newspapers report.

Key Quote, from The Australian http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16461093%255E23349,00.html: “Qantas last month issued a ‘request for proposal’ for up to 100 new planes worth as much as $20 billion. The long-term plan includes about 60 planes to replace existing aircraft as well as up to 40 to cater for growth plans of about 5 per cent per year.”

And the Australian Associated Press http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/Air-giants-fight-for-Qantas-contract/2005/09/01/1125302678025.html reports that:

Key Quote: “Qantas would not say when responses from the aircraft maker are due, but it is believed to be in the next fortnight, with a decision possibly to be made by Qantas before its October board meeting.”

Boeing is pitching 777s and 787s, and made 787 program chief Mike Bair available for a telephone conference call with Ozzie journos to discuss Wednesday’s unveiling of the Dreamliner flight deck. (Which explains how he gets quoted in this morning’s newspapers from Sydney when I saw him at the Museum of Flight in Tukwila just last night.)

The Melbourne Herald-Sun http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,16461357%255E664,00.html says that:

Key Quote: “The flight deck of Boeing’s new dream machine looks like a real-life version of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek.”

And here’s my story on the flight deck unveiling http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/09/01/100bus_deck001.cfm plus Herald artist Judy Stanley’s snazzy graphic http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/05/09/01/787FLIGHTDECKGRAPHIC.cfm