Originally Posted by QRC3288

....they won't recoup those costs.

Although, the B787 has also been a financial disaster to-date for Boeing, despite the plane's success. There stands a good chance that plane will also be unprofitable when all is said and done (break-even will be somewhere between 1200-1500 deliveries (!!!!), and really depends on what happens with the B787-10). The problem was massive over-promise by Boeing on tech that wasn't ready, and subsequently massive delays. Boeing management spent a decade doing a public victory lap for the B777 vs A380 win (and a win it was) - I've sat front row to some of these boasts / self-back patting in mid-2000s - but it quietly let Airbus go into crisis mode and develop a super plane in the A350. Airbus was humbled by the fateful decision of the A380 and to their credit, they developed a helluva platform in the A350, without all the bragging of Boeing - and huge financial hole Boeing dug for itself with the B787 - about winning the "twins vs quads" VLA argument. While Boeing was busy back-slapping themselves they really screwed up the beginning of the B787 program, and at the same time (perhaps not really discussed here, but quite real) essentially lost the narrowbody aircraft battle to Airbus. Airbus' A320neo and A321 platform have just crushed Boeing lately, with something like 2/3 of narrows order in favor of Airbus. This segment isn't necessarily talked about here because only KA has narrowbodies, but Boeing really blew it here. Tip my cap to Airbus.

Anyyway, keeping this ostensibly about the A350..the biggest different in the A350 vs B787 is going to profitability. The former is going to be a financial home-run. The latter is going to be lucky to break even, despite both planes' operating success. And our beloved CX is damn lucky to have the delivery slots they do for the A359.