Analysis and discussion of issues that impact business

What's that old saying? "One man's trash is another man's treasure". This is kind of like that.

The biggest financial crisis in Airbus’ 36-year history could be a boon to commercial airlines.

And heaven knows, they could use it.

Here's the silver lining.

After breaking its delivery dates three times on its super-jumbo A380 jet, Airbus sales executives are courting customers all over again to keep them from dumping the new model.

So being late and over-priced isn't limited to the plumbing industry..

Even though the plane is overweight and wrought with production snafus, some industry insiders say airlines should think twice before sending the superjumbo packing.

So far, I haven't heard anything about safety concerns. And that concerns me.

In just 19 months, the giant, double-decker passenger plane has gone from being Europe’s crowning engineering achievement to what some view as a white elephant that is two years behind schedule and expected to cost the company billions in lost profits.

I can hear the Euro jokes now.

If they’re patient and don’t urgently need the airplanes, airlines could end up getting "the deal of the century," one analyst said.

So bad news for one, could be good news for others. But the bad news is bad.

FedEx Corp., one of Airbus’s most loyal customers, this week canceled its order for 10 of the A380 freighter models because of the delivery delays. It turned to rival Boeing Co. for 15 Boeing 777s because they could be delivered more quickly.

But the experts are sounding some clear cautions.

Aviation consultant Scott Hamilton agrees, saying airlines would be crazy to cancel A380 orders today.

“By the time the airlines get through raking Airbus over the coals, we wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the launch-order A380 pricing wound up being in the $100 million range,’’ Hamilton wrote in a recent report to clients. “Getting the A380 for this little amount would be the deal of the century.’’

And at the beginning of this century, the airline industry is both losing and gaining ground at the same time.

That's called 'standing pat' where I come from.