Accommodating Bigger Airbus Planes Will Shrink U.S. Jobs

Regarding “Airbus Super-Sizes,” Dec. 7:

“If we build it, they will subsidize.” That seems to be what Airbus and Virgin Atlantic Airways are hoping for.

If the Airbus A380 is to succeed, they will need U.S. airport operators to commit to billions of dollars to upgrade runways and gates.

Every dollar spent to upgrade runways is an American job lost to overseas workers.

Let the airlines buying the planes or Airbus pay for it.

David Coffin

Inglewood

*

The plan to freshen up the Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport with a coat of paint and other “eye-pleasing features” but not construct adequate gate areas for the A380 until three years after its introduction is a shortsighted strategy that might help Boeing Co. but will seriously hurt Los Angeles, California, the Southwest, travelers and commerce.

As a “neighbor,” I use LAX to Asia or Europe because Phoenix has no transpacific flights and one or two daily flights to European cities.

LAX serves the Southwest. Los Angeles needs to have its airport ready for the Airbus A380 when it arrives in summer 2006.

Dave Crook

Phoenix