Plane and simple: Airbus is still out-delivering Boeing

2/15/24 7:00PM

Higher plane‍

‍Airbus flew further ahead of Boeing last year for commercial aircraft deliveries, reporting 735 plane shipments and receiving a record 2,094 net orders; its closest rival in the air space, on the other hand, delivered just 528 units, with the plane-maker still suffering from a string of incidents involving its flagship Max models — not least the recent mid-air cabin panel blow out in January.

To compound Boeing’s woes, Airbus also forecast 800 deliveries in 2024: almost certainly enough to see it retain the top manufacturer spot for the 6th consecutive year, after the fatal 737 Max crashes of 2018 and 2019 saw the Boeing jets grounded worldwide for 20 months and orders wane.

‍Turbulence

‍Even though the European aviation giant is extending its lead over its American counterpart, the skies haven’t been completely clear for Airbus either. Indeed, CEO Guillaume Faury described the company’s supply chain as a “world of bottlenecks”, suggesting that Airbus might struggle making headway on its mounting backlog of ~8,600 commercial aircraft orders for some time.

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.