Credible intelligence has emerged that the branch of 
Courtesy of Boeing Co. workers in North Charleston voted overwhelmingly to disband their union in a move that could give the region an edge in landing an aircraft plant the company is looking to build.
Of the 267 ballots cast, 199 were in favor of decertifying the election that made them members of the International Association of Machinists. The company was pleased; the union was disappointed.
The local plant makes rear fuselage sections for Boeing’s 787, a new fast-selling lightweight jet that has been delayed by snags with suppliers and an eight-week strike last year by the IAM.
Boeing has said it would consider North Charleston and its manufacturing hub outside Seattle, among other sites, for a new 787 assembly plant. A decision is expected by the end of the year.
Airliner Production Faces Sharp Axe
Even with the action by the Boeing union to disband, airlines and airline production are both in trouble. Please consider Airliner production faces sharp axe.
Investment bank UBS predicts there will be a surplus of 1,400 airliners at the end of this year, necessitating production cuts at both Airbus and Boeing. The bank made its forecast in a detailed report at the end of August on Airbus parent EADS, warning that the "significantly reduced production rates" required to address overcapacity were "currently not being planned for". It expects Airbus production rates to fall by about 40% by 2012.
Separately, lessor AWAS has told Flightglobal’s financial news service Commercial Aviation Online that, according to its own internal analysis, there will be an aircraft surplus of about 1,000 aircraft by the end of this year and about 1,600 by the end of 2010.
Passenger traffic would have to grow at the rate of an estimated 14% to avoid production cuts, way beyond the 4-5% growth projected. UBS concludes that there would have to be 3,600 aircraft retirements to avoid cutting production, another unrealistic possibility.
Airlines Face $11 Billion in Losses
Highlighting the woes of the travel industry, the Wall Street Journal reports Airlines Face $11 Billion in Losses.
The global airline industry faces $11 billion of losses this year, greater than previously forecast, as business travel remains in a slump and fuel prices are rising,
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