Originally Posted by FWAAA
More like "AA couldn't find any better use for it than to lease it to Boeing?"
The very fact that AA considers it surplus right now and is willing to lease it to Boeing might help to dispel the myth that AA is "hurting for them [777s] right now."
Over the long term, AA could probably use a few more 777s, but in the short term, the reality is that AA isn't starved for new 777s. If it were, it would call Boeing and order them.
El Al ordered two new 777-200ERs in December and they're scheduled for 2007 delivery, so I'm confident AA could get them relatively quickly if it really needed them.
Well when your expansion plans are dictated by your aircraft inventory, I consider them to be somewhat crucial. Especially when one considers that where AA has been expanding lately can only be reached with a 777(as far as AA's fleet goes).
It's probably not so much that AA doesn't need the aircraft so much as the attractiveness of the deal Boeing made with them, that's what I'm surmising anyway.