As we enter the nasty phase of Airbus' adjustment process, one needs to look beyond the strikes which will start before the weekend. All the noise in the streets of France and Germany will detract from what is really important – customer perception. Airbus has many loyal customers that are going to watch the TV news with great feelings of discomfort.

If the news last year was rough, it may be getting rougher going forward. Whereas the news last year was essentially mea culpas the coming news will be of frustrated workers who managed to keep quiet up to now. Every worker on the street means one less working on Airbus' valuable backlog. Readers should recall how the images of striking Boeing workers looked but a few years ago. It was a horrible time for Boeing and as bad for its customers.

A good example of a "captive" Airbus customer is Iberia. Last December Bloomberg said the airline, a loyal Airbus customer for a decade, was looking at the 787 because Airbus would not have its product ready in time. Many observers just smiled. We understand that Iberia irritated Boeing with its insincere dealings because the airline has not been a serious customer for a long time. On top of this, there is the Spanish involvement with EADS through CASA. If Spain gets more A350 work then clearly Airbus will have an even greater advantage. So is Iberia more serious about the 787 now? Can they be believed? There is absolutely no pressure on Boeing to do anything. Pity the unfortunate captive Airbus customer.

Then what happens tomorrow? It looks like 4,000 job cuts in France and 3,500 in Germany. Making matters worse, the A350 wing work is likely to be given to Germany. This means Spain gets a smaller (as yet undecided) share. Moreover, if Mr. Gallois resigns (possibly as early as tomorrow but maybe in 2-3 weeks) then Airbus becomes headless again for a while. How does this make a captive Airbus feel?

It must be clear to national interests that at some stage "national" airlines cannot be held to ransom forever. Think about Aeroflot; here is another case of a 787 customer that had to switch to the A350 because of "national" interests. Boeing is simply not as hungry for 787 orders from the likes of Iberia and Aeroflot – though they would likely deny this. As time progresses Airbus' loyal customers must gnash their teeth in frustration and watch any hope of an equivalent deal from Boeing disappear in the clouds; never to return. Airbus is giving its loyal customers major heartburn and it is going to get worse. Every shakeup at Airbus is delaying the A350 even more. Europe's politicians won't allow the shakeups to stop.

At this stage, Airbus needs' are greater than fresh capital. They need time and there is not much available. Mr. Gallois possible resignation seems a perfectly rational thing to do. Who would want his job? And customers stew as they watch angry workers who should be busy building planes. What a mess.

As we enter the nasty phase of Airbus' adjustment process, one needs to look beyond the strikes which will start before the weekend. All the noise in the streets of France and Germany will detract from what is really important – customer perception. Airbus has many loyal customers that are going to watch the TV news with great feelings of discomfort.

If the news last year was rough, it may be getting rougher going forward. Whereas the news last year was essentially mea culpas the coming news will be of frustrated workers who managed to keep quiet up to now. Every worker on the street means one less working on Airbus' valuable backlog. Readers should recall how the images of striking Boeing workers looked but a few years ago. It was a horrible time for Boeing and as bad for its customers.

A good example of a "captive" Airbus customer is Iberia. Last December Bloomberg said the airline, a loyal Airbus customer for a decade, was looking at the 787 because Airbus would not have its product ready in time. Many observers just smiled. We understand that Iberia irritated Boeing with its insincere dealings because the airline has not been a serious customer for a long time. On top of this, there is the Spanish involvement with EADS through CASA. If Spain gets more A350 work then clearly Airbus will have an even greater advantage. So is Iberia more serious about the 787 now? Can they be believed? There is absolutely no pressure on Boeing to do anything. Pity the unfortunate captive Airbus customer.

Then what happens tomorrow? It looks like 4,000 job cuts in France and 3,500 in Germany. Making matters worse, the A350 wing work is likely to be given to Germany. This means Spain gets a smaller (as yet undecided) share. Moreover, if Mr. Gallois resigns (possibly as early as tomorrow but maybe in 2-3 weeks) then Airbus becomes headless again for a while. How does this make a captive Airbus feel?

It must be clear to national interests that at some stage "national" airlines cannot be held to ransom forever. Think about Aeroflot; here is another case of a 787 customer that had to switch to the A350 because of "national" interests. Boeing is simply not as hungry for 787 orders from the likes of Iberia and Aeroflot – though they would likely deny this. As time progresses Airbus' loyal customers must gnash their teeth in frustration and watch any hope of an equivalent deal from Boeing disappear in the clouds; never to return. Airbus is giving its loyal customers major heartburn and it is going to get worse. Every shakeup at Airbus is delaying the A350 even more. Europe's politicians won't allow the shakeups to stop.

At this stage, Airbus needs' are greater than fresh capital. They need time and there is not much available. Mr. Gallois possible resignation seems a perfectly rational thing to do. Who would want his job? And customers stew as they watch angry workers who should be busy building planes. What a mess.