Just looking at Bombardier Canadair's production of RJs in 2003. It was huge. They turned out 225 of them, which as they have produced just over 1,000 is nearly a quarter of the total they have ever built.

Almost all of them went to US major carrier affiliates, only a handful went elsewhere. So it's a huge investment at a time when the industry is in financial bad times. Even United and US Air are continuing to stock up substantially on them, and on the Embraer (who produced about 100 last year).

Notably Bombardier produced most of the standard small 50-seater, 158 of them. Only 57 of the 70-seater were produced, and only 10 of the 90-seater. Not a lot of demand for growth in size.

Turboprops seem to be dead. Total deliveries of the comparably-sized De Havilland Q400 was eight! And many of those commuter turboprops getting replaced, some only a few years old, are getting parked in Arizona unwanted.