American Airlines plans to order as many as 100 of Boeing Co.'s hot-selling but delay-plagued 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The order would make American the largest North American airline customer for the Dreamliner, providing a much-needed boost to Chicago-based Boeing.
It also leaves Chicago-based United Airlines as the only major U.S. carrier without plans to add the next generation of fuel-sipping aircraft to its fleet.
American's surprise order signals that stronger U.S. carriers may be well-positioned to withstand a recession that's expected to follow Wall Street's collapse.
Analysts had expected American, the largest U.S. airline, to order the long-range, lightweight Boeing 787 next year. But it is among the airlines that appear to be benefiting from the deep cuts in capacity that are keeping planes full this fall, while fuel prices have fallen to nearly half their July peak.
"The timing was a surprise," said Michael Derchin, airline analyst with FTN Midwest Securities Corp. "With oil prices really plummeting, [American] could make a profit in the fourth quarter, even with a recession upon us." |
