AMR a Battle Ground For Boeing And Airbus

American Airlines, which once pledged loyalty to Boeing, has let Airbus back into the room for negotiations on a potentially huge contract that could have far-reaching implications for the plane makers as well as the third-largest US airline.

By playing Boeing off its top rival, American hopes to win juicy concessions from the winner. And a split order, potentially worth more than USD$20 billion, could result in a mixed narrow-body fleet that positions American Airlines for a merger down the road.

For Airbus, this is a chance to make inroads in the United States with a customer that once publicly committed to buying only Boeing planes for 22 years.

Get a full story at: Airwise.com