American is far and away the largest operator of the MD-80 series in the world, with something like 300 of them still in their fleet. They’re good planes, but their older low-bypass Pratt and Whitney JT8D-200 engines aren’t nearly as efficient as the newer high-bypass engines on 737s and A320s. So this isn’t a surprise. I am a bit surprised that they’re splitting the order roughly 50/50 between A and B, but I guess that’s a good way of hedging their bets if either company’s re-engine program runs into difficulty.
}:-)4
Boeing got it butt kicked bad by Airbus, 100 737 vrs 260 320 is hardly 50-50.
Jon Ostrower gives this aspect of the split order:
Though a split but, say industry watchers, allows American to compete Boeing and Airbus on an airframe by airframe basis, forcing both to trade margins for marketshare.
Only Gentiles pay retail.
The Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan, has run, flown on the wing, and is on schedule for Production "type certificate" for 2013.
They other guys? more tweaks of the same concept, I can't see it. You can't keep upping the pressure ratio etc and magically come up with a 15% reduction where as the Geared Turbofan is a game changer. When it comes to the Leap-X, I am from Missouri, Show Me...