Miloch wrote in
:

...for those of you affected, guess you'll be taking the day(s) off.

In the meantime:

Boeing faces $15 billion decision of the decade: Is it time to build
the 797?

more at
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...jetliner-decis
ion-20190129-story.html

It's only January, but Boeing Co. executives are already closing in on
one of their most important determinations of the year: whether to
plow an estimated $15 billion into a new jetliner family.

The aircraft nicknamed the 797 would feature Boeing's first all-new
design since the 787 Dreamliner's unveiling in 2004, while shoring up
its product line against recent Airbus advances. The European
plane-maker's incoming boss, Guillaume Faury, says he's waiting for
Boeing to tip its hand before revealing countermoves. That sets up a
likely showdown at the Paris Air Show in June.

Designed for economical flying on midrange routes — think Chicago to
Berlin, or New York to Los Angeles — the Boeing jet would have the
potential to transform air travel by spawning a new breed of
longer-distance budget carriers. But the decision on whether to move
forward hasn't been easy. A misfire would cannibalize sales of the 787
Dreamliner and endanger the cash bounty that has made Boeing a darling
of Wall Street.

"Every single other Boeing jet has been pretty much a guaranteed home
run, even if it wasn't clear at the time," said aerospace analyst
Richard Aboulafia. "This is different. They've got to be careful with
this."

Boeing's board is expected to review the case for the new program by
the end of March, according to people briefed on the matter. For now,
the team spearheading the concept, led by former 787 program head Mark
Jenks, has been meeting monthly with Chief Executive Officer Dennis
Muilenburg and Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith.

The sales force has been fine-tuning the design with airlines for at
least five years, creating a "will it or won't it?" drama around the
decision on whether to make the plane, known internally at Boeing as
the NMA, for new, middle-of-market airplane.

"With some planes, the technology is the 'moonshot'; with this, it's
the business case," Aboulafia said. The word "moonshot" is the term
Boeing uses for quixotic gambles that it has vowed to avoid after
loading the 787 Dreamliner with groundbreaking technology and an
unproven production system — then losing money on the first 500 or so
planes after extensive delays.

For Boeing and Airbus, committing to an all-new aircraft is a
once-in-a-decade event. Costs are prohibitive, delays are the norm and
payoff can take years to materialize. Boeing could easily spend more
than $15 billion on the NMA, according to Ken Herbert, analyst with
Canaccord Genuity, and Airbus may be forced into a clean-sheet design
if sales take off.


more at
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...jetliner-decis
ion-20190129-story.html


As a "too big to let fail" company Boeing has
the luxury of losing billions on a risk. If nothing
else the government will just ramp up it's military
purchases to keep the company afloat.

Some of us remember when DC 10 sales fell off
after that engine separation crash in Chicago, the
government stepped in ordered a bunch to use as
tankers.