Kindly reproduced from Ben Jones

http://www.ifdg.net/forum/index.php?act=At...pe=post&id=1499

Created and compiled very kindly by russell_syd from the following site: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/orders/


'"If [Boeing] do something that is a replacement for the B767, we
will respond." But Leahy said he did not think there was any rush. If
Airbus were to build an A330-200 replacement, he said, 2012 would be
the logical timetable to enter service.' -- Quoted during 2002,
Seattle Times, 15-Jun-03.

"There's a 50% probability [that Boeing] won't product anything more
than hype [with the 7E7] ... Airbus could offer the same engine [on
the A330]. Instead of [the A330] having three engine choices, we'll
have four." -- Aviation Daily, 16-Apr-03.

"The 'dream machine' or whatever it's called? I couldn't have hoped
for a better name, being their competitor. It's a PR man's dream, but
an engineer's nightmare ... It's purely a PR man's dream. I think the
travelling public knows that, too, which is probably why they voted
[for the name 'Dreamliner']. In fact, it seems most of the people at
Airbus who voted picked the 'Dreamliner'. Some of the traditionalists
voted for 'Stratoclimber', which would have been a better name."

"I was pretty much convinced that [Boeing] would do [the 7E7] in
recent months. But now I'm convinced they're not going to do it. Why?
Because now they're talking about the sexy shape of the windshield,
the distinctive nose and the rake of the wingtip fences and how it
will be distinguishable from other airplanes in the marketplace. And
how people will just look at it and say: 'Wow!'"

"When someone starts doing that, it's because they're saying to
themselves: 'I've got a 'me-too' product. I'm trying to leapfrog the
A330-200 and what the engineers have just come up with looks an awful
lot like my competitor's airplane."

"It is a bit like a bunch of guys in the 1960s in Detroit,
saying: 'We can hold the Japanese off for a few more years. We've got
to get those tailfins just a little bit higher, get a little bit more
chrome, some really dynamite headlights, and the Japanese are going
to be history, because everyone's going to want our new Cadillacs or
whatever. And they went right off the cliff doing it."

"I hate to say this, as we're spending a lot of money to be here, but
we are machine-tool makers. These are the machine tools of the air
transport industry. They're sold on seat-mile costs, ton-mile costs,
range, payload, environmental efficiency and fuel burn [and not on
their looks]. That's not the way you buy machine tools."

'Leahy said what convinced him that the Boeing project won't fly was
Boeing's announcement that it was going to have a final assembly
cycle of three days instead of 30 days, a reduction of 90% compared
to the norm in the business. "Why would you do that? Because the
business case isn't working."'

'Leahy says he's so convinced the Dreamliner will never fly that he's
started taking wagers.'

'Leahy predicted that, if Boeing does launch the Dreamliner program,
it will be a commercial flop as Airbus' competitor will have to
amortize the US$8bn development cost, which he said would
automatically ad $15m to the sticker price and give Airbus an
advantage because the development cost of the A330-200, which it is
supposed to kill, was only $400m as it is a derivative of the
A330/340 Family.'

"If [Boeing] bring out something that costs $8bn in 2008, they're not
going to be around for the 2012-15 cycle." -- Dow Jones Newswires, 18-
Jun-03.

"[The 7E7] is more a marketing tool than an engineering reality ...
It's guerilla marketing. It's an attempt to say, 'don't buy my
competitor's product now, just sit around until I think of something
else to do'." -- Associated Press, 19-Jun-03.

"I think [the 7E7] is quite similar to the threat posed by the Sonic
Cruiser ... [Boeing] basically told the airlines, there is something
else coming. Spend the next couple of years studying it with us."

'However, "Boeing will eventually have to come up with a replacement
for the B767. But, I don't think it will be anything along the lines
of this 'Super Efficient' twin. What you will end up seeing is a
relatively ordinary airplane similar to the B767 that will try and
match the A330-200. They may get close, but it will be a plain
vanilla competitor to what is a tough standard to topple -- the A330-
200."'

"[Boeing] will have an US$8bn development program to make an airplane
that except for the engines might be 1 or 2 percent more efficient
than the A330-200. What's to keep us from taking that same engine and
putting it on the A330-200? So, what [Boeing is] talking about is an
$8bn development program to get, except for the engines, a couple
percent improvement, if that, over the A330-200."

'Leahy [also] noted that fewer than 1,000 Boeing B767s have been sold
since the plane entered service.'

"So, 25 years and 900 planes. Figure out how you will get a payback
on $8bn?"

"I can wipe out that 2 percent very quickly by having a lower priced
airplane because I don't have to amortize an $8bn program over 900
planes, if [Boeing] can ever get to 900 planes." -- Seattle Post-
Intelligencer, 18-Jun-03.

'...Airbus had proposed a shortened version of its A330-200, with
fewer seats, but with 500nm more range. A lighter version, at 195t,
was even under study to respond to regional requirements. The only
problem was that the 'A330-500' kept the same wing as the A330-200,
with, as a result, less performance and higher operating
costs ... "Nobody has asked me about the A330-500 in the last 18
months," underlines Leahy. "The A330-500 was an effort made in good
faith to satisfy an anticipated requirement, but the market
said 'no'," added Airbus Marketing Director Alan Pardoe.' --
Interavia, 1-Jul-03.

'Leahy concentrated on competition between the 7E7 and A330. He also
focused on bulk cargo rather than volume, saying the former is a
more "real world" concern for airlines, and concluded that
differences between the baseline 7E7 and A330-200 will be a wash.
Leahy expressed skepticism that Boeing's initial specifications will
hold once engineers eat up space for more equipment and systems and
such heavy items as large-pallet cargo doors.' -- Aviation Week, 15-
Sep-03.

'Leahy ... said he doesn't expect to see the 7E7 launch by year-end
and that the plane would do no better than the existing Airbus
product, the A330-200 ... "We've got about 85 percent of the market
now compared with an airplane that used to dominate the market. But
using today's technology, Boeing will build a plane that may be
better than the B767, but that will be similar to the A330-200." --
Tulsa World, 26-Oct-03.

"You can increase the hype, but you can't change the physics. The
cabin will look like the A330, and the economics of the [7E7] will be
similar as well." -- Wall Street Journal, 18-Nov-03.

'[Leahy] said Airbus doesn't see the 7E7 as a threat because Airbus
has boosted its share of the market for planes of that size in the
last 10 years. "The 7E7 is a mistake; [Boeing]'re trying to catch up
with our existing product."' -- Dow Jones Newswires, 17-Dec-03.

"If the question is: if [Boeing] bring out the 7E7 what are we going
to do? The answer is nothing. We are very content to stay with our
A330-200." -- Reuters, 17-Dec-03.

'"We welcome competition," [Leahy] said. But he added that Airbus
believes the airplane will fall short of Boeing's promises. "It's a
current-technology airplane. That doesn't set the world on fire." --
Wall Street Journal, 17-Dec-03.

"I can't figure out who the customers are who are about to but the
7E7. As soon as I do, I'll go out and talk to them about the A330-
200." -- Associated Press, 17-Dec-03.

'"As we look at the economics of the 7E7, 20 percent lower fuel
consumption, [Boeing] say it'll have 214 seats, and we have 241 on
the A330-200," Leahy said. Using Boeing's numbers, he said, the 7E7
will have operating costs per plane trip of a few percentage points
lower than the A330-200. But, because the A330-200 has more seats,
the Boeing plane will be 2 percent more expensive per passenger
mile. "We don't see that as an overwhelming case for the airlines to
switch to Boeing's plane." -- Toronto Star, 18-Dec-03.

'Over the past several months, Airbus officials have tweaked Boeing
by suggesting they can easily adapt the new 7E7 engines to their A330-
200. But Leahy downplayed that possibility last week. "I am not sure
that we would need new engines as they would enhance operating costs
by no more than 2 percent."'

"The proposed 7E7 is actually very similar to the A330-200 that is as
good without the risks." -- Aviation Week, 22-Dec-03.

'[Leahy] said Airbus isn't planning any moves or product changes to
compete with the 7E7. "We don't feel that we need to do anything with
the product right now." -- Dow Jones Newswires, 24-Mar-04.

'Airbus executivces have sought to minimize the 7E7's advantages, and
yesterday they suggested ANA's order largely reflected its close ties
with Boeing. "ANA did not ask for a proposal from Airbus and did not
ask for performance information of any competing aircraft from
Airbus," Leahy said. "This almost never happens." -- Wall Street
Journal, 27-Apr-04.

'"Except for the engines, the 7E7 is virtually the same aircraft" as
the A330. He says that "one of the 7E7's Achilles' Heels" is that the
baseline aircraft -- which has about 10-15% less capacity than the
A330-200 -- is "too small." Leahy says given that the fuel represents
about 30% of total cash operating costs (COC) and that, as the A330-
200 is a larger aircraft, the 7E7-8 only has a 4% advantage (in fuel
costs) over the Airbus on a COC per seat basis. Overall, Airbus
calculates that the smaller 7E7-8 will actually have a COC per seat
2.5% greater than the A330-200 when flight crew, maintenance and
navigation costs are included. "At best, you see equal seat-mile
costs," says Leahy.'

'He concedes that if an airline wants "7,000-8,000nm range", then the
7E7's longer legs give it an advantage, but Leahy sees this
requirement as niche because "99% of the market is for 6,000nm". But
he does not expect the 7E7's much-vaunted brand-awareness exterior
shape to win it any extra orders. "Not once did an airline say to
me: 'We'd buy your aircraft if it looked better'," says Leahy.' --
Flight International, 13-Jul-04.

"[The Boeing claim that 200 7E7 orders by end-04 is possible is]
typical hype. I've never seen an airplane where the market hype from
the PR department is less in contact with the reality of the
marketplace ... Those numbers are purely a figment of the imagination
of Boeing's public relations department there in Seattle. We are in
contact with the airlines. We talk to them on a daily basis. We know
Boeing is going around and making lots of presentations, but we don't
see anyone about to place orders."

"In a wild attempt to try and keep the total trip costs down, Boeing
made their airplane a little too small. If the B767-300 was the right
size, then our A330-200 would not have 80 percent of the market ...
when you do [long range] in a tiny airplane, you get into the
economics of a corporate jet."

"Unless [Boeing] have discovered some new law of physics or some new
manufacturing process that nobody in the world has ever heard of --
and we know they have not -- then they either will be sub-optimal, in
which case they will make an airplane and it will cost them a fortune
to do it, or they will come back toward the best engineering and
manufacturing standards and build a plane with less than 30 percent
composites." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 19-Jul-04.

"We are pleasantly surprised by the yawns [the 7E7] is getting in the
marketplace." -- New York Times, 20-Jul-04.

"I can't see where the big [7E7] demand is supposedly coming from. It
may be more in the category of wishful thinking than firm orders." --
Seattle Times, 21-Jul-04.

"They are talking about the 7E7, but the fact is all they do is talk
about the 7E7. I see no customer raising their hand and saying they
are going to buy it." -- Tribune Business News, 21-Jul-04.

"Admittedly you could fly further in a 7E7-8 although a lot of
airlines are saying 'I'm not quite sure I want to fly 7,500nm'. But,
we are studying that extra range capability [Boeing] have." -- Flight
International, 27-Jul-04.

"We're not replacing the A330 [with the by-then announced A350] ...
The A330 is optimized for regional flying and the A350 is optimized
for long-range flying. The 7E7 is optimized for neither." -- Wall
Street Journal, 30-Sep-04.

'Entry into service of the A350-800 would be a year after the 7E7, in
2009. "We haven't found any airline which is worried about the extra
year. I haven't seen any great momentum for 7E7-8 sales to this
point."'

"We don't want to shoot ourselves in both feet to replace the [A330]-
200/300, which between them have 80% of this element of the market.
Their Achilles' Heel is range. We solve that with the A350." --
Flight International, 19-Oct-04.

"If we bring a new airplane to market ... it will be done in response
to focus groups that we are now conducting around the industry
telling us whether or not, as a member of the A330 Family, they would
like to have an A330 with about 1,000 to 1,200 miles more range." --
Flight International, 21-Oct-04.

"We are using a lot of composite work on the [A350] wing. The gross
weight of the aircraft will be increased and it will have a 242t
maximum take-off weight." -- Flight International, 30-Nov-04.

"We are spending €4bn developing [the A350] although about €800m of
that will be risk-sharing partners."

"It is an all-new wing. If you had taken new-generation engines from
GE and Rolls-Royce which are on the 7E7 -- we have the same engines
on our aircraft -- and just added those on the A330, the weight would
have been 8t higher than it is on the A350."

"The fact that [Boeing] only have 52 [7E7 sales] means that there are
a lot of those that are teetering on the edge that we believe are
about to go in our direction. More than half of this market is going
to go to a combination of the A330 and A350."

"You will see a significant proportion of customers that Boeing
thought that they might have for the 7E7 now switching to the A350
because of performance of the aircraft." -- Reuters, 11-Dec-04.

"So far, after two years of some of the biggest market push I've ever
seen, [Boeing] have two customers." -- Dow Jones Newswires, 11-Dec-04.

'Leahy ... said [Airbus] has decided to move ahead with the A350
after nine months of consultations with customers. He said it became
clear that there was a market for a long-range lower-cost aircraft,
and Airbus decided to improve on Boeing's plans.' -- International
Herald Tribune, 11-Dec-04.

"When we approached airlines, they told us not to change the A330 but
they said they would be interested if the A330 can fly a little
further. We came up with the A350, which provides more range than the
7E7 and can carry 10 percent more passengers." -- Business Times, 20-
Dec-04.

"We held focus group consultations with airline clients and found
they were not particularly excited with the 7E7 because it had no
commonality with other jets in the Boeing Family. So, when we
proposed a longer-range version of the A330, they welcomed it. The
A350 will belong to the same family, which means the same pilot who
flies an A330 can also fly the A350." -- The Shipping Times, 20-Dec-
04.

"Following authority-to-offer, we're out in the market talking to
airlines. With the interest we've got we should have at least 50
orders by the Paris Air Show." -- Flight International, 21-Dec-04.

"[Boeing] need a way to claw back into a market they once controlled
[with the B767]."

"Have you seen the B-2 fly-by at almost US$1bn a copy? It has only
two seats."

"I believe if [Boeing] say they're going to do it [7E7 composites],
they will."

"Boeing is in denial when they go around saying [the A350] is just a
warmed over version of the A330. If that's what it was, they'd be
selling a lot more 7E7s right now." -- Chicago Tribune, 12-Jan-05.

"Objectively, [Boeing]'ve got the high ground right now. I wanted
Korean and Northwest."

"[Boeing] seem to be doing everything they can to stop the A350 from
being an industrial launch. My job is to make sure that doesn't
happen."

"When [Boeing] say stuff like [they'll be on top in terms of orders
earned in 2005], and they start to get very aggressive on pricing,
all-of-a-sudden you get to a situation where these guys could really
turn it around this year."

"When you've got 80 percent of a given market, you aren't spending a
lot of time thinking about how to improve that position." -- Seattle
Times, 17-Apr-05.

"If [Boeing] gets the first 100 [orders in the 220-300 seat segment]
it doesn't bother me [as long as Airbus catches up in the long term]."

"We have had a problem getting the plane refined and understood and
out in the market." -- Aviation Daily, 19-May-05.

"This [A350] is an all-new aircraft. Since December we improved
width, range, seat costs, economics. We changed the aircraft three or
four times in the past 90 days. We achieved an 8 tonne weight
reduction through the use of new technologies. 60 percent of the A350
structure is in advanced materials." -- Daily Post, 23-May-05.

"The fact is, it has taken us an awful long time to get the [A350]
right. We've changed the airplane three to four times [in the last 90
days.]" -- Aviation Week, 23-May-05.

"I'm not getting an airplane out there that is more than competitive
with the B787 and you will see orders very soon."

"Boeing argues they have a little more headroom on their plane, so we
changed the shape of the sidewall to have similar width."

"We have been listening to the airlines and going through the design
loops. Our customers said we should have done this a year ago. But
that's water over the dam." -- Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3-Jun-05.

"Basically, [Boeing]'ve won the PR game."

"The guy who gets on the playing field first wins a few, [but the
A350 is] about to take over the market." -- Wall Street Journal, 10-
Jun-05.

I remember when this came out in Yahoo! Orders. It's still a good read. My favorites:
"
Prophetic words, huh?


And what is Airbus doing now in May of 2006?

"
How could one possibly improve on this?


Well...that's almost what they did. And these are quotes; not fiction--actual quotes!


In fairness to Mr. Leahy, he was right. Boeing didn't get 200 orders. So what's our friend say he's going to do in 2005 with the A350? That's right...he'll get 200 orders by years' end. What happened?


My personal favorite....

Edit: Admittedly, these are cheap shots given the benefit of hindsight. But when you live by the public relations game, you die by it also. Imagine if the WSJ gets these little snippets?

That has to be the best head-up-his-ass Leahy quote of all time. Currently, the marketplace has yawned its way to 350 firm orders for the 787.

Each quote tells its own story about the monumental cock up at Airbus.

And each quote reminds me of why I put his upside-down photo in my avatar!

Below: Jose Morinho, Manager, Chelsea FC.




Below: John Leahy pleaded for someone to purchase A350's.

Where is Leahy now? He's been awfully quiet lately. He's leaving it up to his old boss to make the gaffs. (787 is Chinese copy of 330)

Mystery solved! I had wondered who that was. Not a recent photo I take it....

This priceless collection of gems really tracks those days in a way no other method could. I missed some of those quotes the first time around but am glad to see them, though there’s quite a sh!tload of words that were said! I, too, finally have the answer to that little avatar mystery. He looks almost... respectable when one does not recognise him (and when 50% of active neurones are devoted to contorting one’s head to look). Lately more than ever, he’s in the worst of both worlds: some B fans and Americans may ridicule him as an A employee, and certain Europeans may despise him because he’s an American who overplayed their deck.

I grabbed it off the Airbus site about a year ago. It was his official portrait in the execubio section.

'Course, they had it right-side up there.

^

Actually, the pic suits him more upside considering his employers internal discord!

I wish someone wold email him all these little gems that he said about the 787 and the A350s spposed dominance over it. I can just see him cringing as he reads each one. In the end the new A350 will still not be as good as the 787.

Airbus has quickly become the masters of the f***-up.

Why send to Mr. Leahy? Better to send to the airlines who ordered, and are thinking of ordering, the A350 / A370!

I'll get onto it!

You guys seen this? A slow news day I'm afraid...
http://iagblog.blogspot.com/2006/05/forgea...y-business.html

Yeah, I saw it earlier, but in a dazzling display of self-restraint, I refrained from posting here and "elsewhere". Airbus can only take so much bad news each week....

Mmmm, that photo is over the top, totally irreverent, and way out of line... but somehow it’s also perfect.

^

One could argue that its no more offensive than the tirade by Forgeard labelled at his French counterparts?

I know this is OT, but since we've wandered into this swamp...what will happen to M. Forgeard after the Chriac administration is gone? Isn't the French president his #1 patron?

I am amused to share with y'all that a number of hits from this site to the pic have come from Boeing IP addresses. One person called from there and was roaring with laughter. Which is the aim of the piece.

Please note it is a tongue in cheek thing. Wish we'd had something like this with Stonecipher. The mind boggles!

That was a deliciously mischievous photo—especially so for that audience, I’m sure. Now this thread has been centred around Mr Leahy’s verbal gaffes; perhaps a more, uh, visual concept might add to the experience.

I've got Google News feeds on all articles pertaining to "Boeing" and "Airbus", among others. Addison, you may be interested to know that this photo was picked up by the feed!

Perhaps EADS should take a leaf out of Boeings book and get rid of the dual-CEO position and terminate Forgeards employment?

I don't think he's vulnerable as long as Chriac is president. After that, however....

(John Leahy)


With a handful of orders just shy of the 400-mark in a little over 2 years- its reasonable to suggest that at current order rates that in 2012, the 787 orderbook could have breached 1000 units.

At what price will comments like Leahys above have done damage to Airbus?

This thread has some quality quotes- by right I should make this a sticky thread!!

As much as I dislike him and the kind of business practise he represents, I wouldn’t mind a little fresh blood here for purposes of entertainment. He’s continued to be rather out of the public eye of late.

How soon until the muzzle comes off of Mr. Leahy? I'll be waiting with great anticipation too see his "new" spin on carbon fiber.

It doesn't need to be sticky, just ressurected each time a new version of the 350 appears.

We are now on version 6, or should it be VI, soon it will be VIII or XIV.

We need to assemble all of those wonderful John Leahy quotes about composites, ramp rash, can't inspect composites, no weight saving, polymer plane, etc. It now seems to be quite applicable

"Ramp rash - a serious problem, but the French have a solution ... " will be part of upcoming quotations.

Since the spring, there have been far fewer John isms from Leahy.

Replace "A330-200" with "787", and Leahy is justifiably silent this year

Just too easy!

Take it from someone who's eaten plenty: crow doesn't taste too good!

Don't worry about Mr. Leahy. When Airbus triumphantly announces the latest iteration of the A350 (I've lost count), everything will be forgotten (at least in public) and the same airline and leasing executives who publically flayed Airbus will probably order some of the latest and greatest. How many cancellations for the A350 have there been? Zero. Just as in the case of the A380, the executives at these airlines wouldn't want to admit that they drank too much kool aid. It's self preservation as much as anything else. Airbus knows this. Now if Boeing were able to offer earlier delivery slots on the 787, they might be able to "turn" an A350 customer. The collapse of the never-ending Aeroflot deal (again) has the potential to offer earlier slots to the likes of a US or QR.

As for Aeroflot, a 2018 A350 EIS would allow them to get their act together....

A330 will definitely beat 787 because nowadays Airbus is giving them away for free.

While true to a certain extent, apart from the A32X, the A330 was the one plane actually providing an income to Airbus- with all these giveaway deals, residuals will turn out to be shockingly low!

Why in the world are you folks ragging on ole Leahy. He has done more to bust the credibility of Airbus than any single individual. Pretty soon he will be getting his deferred payments from the Boeing sales organization.

Instructions:
remove shoe...
remove sock...
open mouth...
insert foot...

Very true. Even before the giveaways, the A330 enjoyed pretty healthy sales, to both exisiting and new carriers, unlike it's larger sibling A340, and rightfully so. And I'm sure it made Airbus quite a few bucks. Now that the A330 is just the CompensationTwin, not anymore.

Ah, another who sees him for what he is: a liability. Maybe there is some basis to putting together some wild American conspiracy to bring down B’s competition!

He's had a darned quiet 2006 though

Article Courtesy Of Flight Global.com



Your comments Mr Leahy

http://www.bizbuzzmedia.com/blogs/airline/...11/23/5467.aspx



Fastest selling widebody in history means very little to this man

^
It's more like 787's sales slowed a bit due to its own success of selling too fast in short period of time that airlines must now wait at least 5 years to get their first 787. If Boeing can offer delivery spots before XWB's EIS, I wouldn't be surprised if more of his customers jump bandwagon and order the 787 like AC, KE, NW and QF, to name a few, did.

I'm sure most of these customers he is talking about are the one's with deposits on the original A350 Mk1.

Lets wait and see how many of them keep their orders once the final version comes out with the new pricing to cover the 14 billion dollar development costs.

I wonder how many of Leahy's customers are now prepared to wait for the A350 given the change of its construction?

If I were king, this thread would be a sticky.

Every time they change the design, it's worth going back and reading this. I hope there are some B-school professors capturing these priceless bits of wisdom from the great man in Toulouse. They'll make excellent business case studies someday.

Most large projects such as a new airplane at least get a Harvad B School paper or two documenting what went well and what didn't. The A380 and 350 papers will be fun to read.

I'm remember a Leahy quote from late last year -paraphrasing- It would be foolish to come out with a me too airplane!

<...normally, such a request would require a non-virgin sacrifice in tandem; but I'll let it slide just this once. Wish granted.
~Admin>

I dont think theres enough global bandwidth to cater for the amount of rubbish that Leahy has thrown out over the years, expecially over the 787!

I'm honored!

One more time.... Ponder this:

"Dreamliner" is still a far better name than the "Chameleon" XYZ....

What will Leahy say about being a "me too" plane, ramp rash, etc. With the latest version of the XWB maybe it will be called the XWBNIC. I wonder if they are thinking to run for another year or so as the XWB then quietly revert back to the 350.