Airbus vs. Boeing

A friend, who was head of communications in the U.S. for Airbus for many years, shared a stunning fact — in 1987, 20 years ago, there were only six or seven Airbus jetliners in the U.S. Today, Airbus commands about 65 to 70 percent of the U.S. market.

While Boeing, which historically has made fabulous planes but has been weak at marketing and promotion, was basking in past glories, European-owned Airbus stole their lunch.

Ten years ago, while I was working to make Gulfstream the hallmark of business aviation around the world, I watched with amazement at Boeing’s unimaginative yet overly confident behavior at the world air shows while Airbus simply outpromoted them. Airbus’ marketshare today tells the story.

Category: Personal notes, Reputation management