[Jeff Higgins]

I think an Airbus facility in the Puget Sound area would be a stroke of genius on their part. Boeing is all but set to leave Renton, home of 737 production. They have already shut down 757 production there, and there is excess capacity in Everett (home of the 747, 767, and 777) even when 787 starts production. Boeing could build everything in Everett and abandon Renton all together. Problem now is they are levelling every building they vacate in Renton. Maybe they don't want it left available for Airbus as an almost turn key operation. There are an awful lot of both former, and believe it or not current, Boeing employees that would welcome Airbus to the neighborhood with open arms. Boeing has burned a lot of bridges, not the least of which are the ones connecting them to their workforce. Airbus might be surprised at just how fertile they would find the fields around Seattle.