GLG News by Airline Consultants: GLG Leaders and Scholars (US)

• Alitalia's management are selling off the firm's best assets • As a going concern, the airline has failed • Nothing on the horizon indicates the company can be saved 

• Boeing had its conference call today explaining delays in the 787 program • While Boeing officials managed to assuage Wall Street, there are big questions ahead

• VLJs have a questionable future • Garmin is not sensitive to VLJs • Garmin should do well regardless because of rising popularity of personal aircraft

• Boeing's engineering union is called SPEAA • It has 20,000 members in the Puget Sound area • That represents 28% of Boeing's regional employees • The union is split and things don't look like getting better in time for next year's negotiations

• Ryanair's CEO, Michael O'Leary is the nemisis of Aer Lingus and the Irish government • O'Leary managed to buy up 25% of Aer Lingus, much to chagrin of the Irish government and Aer Lingus' management • Now the man they love to hate is back at the center of their world and highly...

• The US economy is driven by consumer sentiment • There are good reasons to think this sentiment may be in for rapid change • The implications for discretionary spending on travel are significant

• The current thinking among many pundits is that Airbus and its parent EADS are in touble so deep they cannot fight their way out • Just as the talk about Boeing's demise a few years ago was overstated, so it is with EADS/Airbus • Building a flying model of the KC-30 is...

• Italy is a large airtravel market • Its growth has been hamepered by the Italian government's desire to protect Alitalia, the national airline • This airline has been a mess for decades and it appears it is now near its desirable end • Italians should cheer

• Germany can only offer Lufthansa some help • Brussels is where Lufthansa can get more protection under the EC umbrella along with other EC airlines • But this will be short lived as EC consumers like the idea of LCCs and low cost travel • EC airlines need to offer higher...

• EADS' results were not as bad as were expected but they are not that good either • Boeing's results were very good, but the 787 is not flying yet