JetBlue Answers My Complaint re Their Buying Airbus, not Boeing Jets

email ^ | 5/2/03 | AirBus PR maven

[PoisedWoman]

Dear (PoisedWoman),

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our choice of the Airbus A320 aircraft.

Airbus is, in fact, not a French company. It is a European organization owned by British, Spanish, French and German concerns. While the A320 is assembled in France, Airbus also operates numerous manufacturing and assembly plants throughout Europe and spends more money with suppliers in the U.S. than in any other country. In 2002 alone, Airbus spent $5.5 billion in the U.S., supporting 120,000 American jobs at hundreds of companies located across some 40 U.S. states.

As an airline that calls New York City home, we are very sensitive to the patriotic measures and sacrifices of Americans in these difficult times. We, like you, look forward to a time in the not too distant future when the international cooperation that goes into building our aircraft finds its way into world affairs.

Sincerely,

Jean Haskell
JetBlue Customer Commitment

[PoisedWoman]

Tell it to Boeing, Jean.

[need_a_screen_name]

Be American, buy American, fly American!!!

[kellynla]

This is a form email. I received the exact email myself. And after the sacrifices that my father and many millions of other American fathers made for the liberation of France in WWI & WWII, I have a form response. Adieu, France!

[narby]

If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going.

[Banjoguy]

...I rec'd the identical reply to my e-mail compliant regarding the purchase of the Airbus A320.

[thucydides]

The other side of this picture is that when European or other overseas airlines buy from US makers, there is an enormous amount of subcontracted work going to foreign manufacturers. So it isn't purely a case of a US manufacturer vs. a foreign manufacturer. I recently saw an exhortation from Bill O'Reilly to buy Poland Spring mineral water instead of the French product. He is apparently unaware that the owner of Poland Spring water, bottled in Maine, has for some years been....Perrier of France.

[PoisedWoman]

Yes, definitely a canned comment from JetBlue. We have a canned comment right back. Save the carefully parsed words, we're not flying on your "european" airline.

[PoisedWoman]

So it isn't purely a case of a US manufacturer vs. a foreign manufacturer.

It sure is here in Seattle, where Boeing dumps workers by the thousands every month.

[Crusader21stCentury]

Actually it is Nestle Waters North America that bottles Poland Springs water.

[Cousin Eddie]

And of course, Evian, the French water, is Naive spelled backwards.

[John H K]

Yep. The reality (as much as people don't want to believe it) is the global economy is now so integrated "Buy American" is pretty much a waste of time.

I have better things to do than sit down and spend hours researching the entire parts stream and layers of ownership for eveything I buy and try to figure out what % of it is "American."

[Willie Green]

Boeing is a Chicom company anyway.
There are, of course, some much smaller aircraft manufacturers left in the U.S. But in the long run, we should be developing high-speed rail and Maglev as an integral part of our transportation infrastructure.

[Jhoffa_]

They own a bunch of Airbus aircraft already. From a maintenance standpoint, it makes sense for them to order more of the same.

Further, I prefer the Airbus. It's more comfortable.

[Cousin Eddie]

1. Boeing isn't dumping workers in Seattle because of the movement of Boeing manufacturing jobs overseas. Boeing is selling half as many planes today as they did a few years ago because of 9/11.

2. The previous poster is correct, Airbus is European, not purely French.

3. Boeing has long sourced parts from around the world. Modern era 7X7 jets have never been 100% American parts.

[winner3000]

Airbus is MANUFACTURED in France.

[jackbill]

It is my understanding that "discount" airlines like Jet Blue, Southwest, etc., are able to provide the low cost service and still make a profit, in part, because they restrict their airfleet to a single aircraft type. That makes sense from the point of view of maintenance and parts.

Jet Blue started out using the Airbus. Should they now dump it, just because of the French?

What some here seem to want Jet Blue to do is to dump a profit-making, customer satisfying, shareholder (mostly Americans?)satisfying business plan in order to stuff it to the French. Yes, that really makes sense.

Some people here on FR should really go back to school.

[Leisler]

Assembled.

[gcruse]

Some people here on FR should really go back to school.

Some people on FR have only a hammer,
confing them to nails.  Screws are too
subtle.

[RS]

"It sure is here in Seattle, where Boeing dumps workers by the thousands every month."

If Boeing can't compete, do you think we need to put some kind of corporate welfare in place ?
- Like forcing JetBlue to buy Boeing ?

But then American Airlines flies Airbus, Fokker, and SAAB aircraft also ...

[rs79bm]

This customer committment person should get a raise. That's the biggest line of baloney I have ever heard.