NZFF

In what must be a very embarrassing episode for Boeing, Cargolux has rejected the 2 inaugural 747-8 freighters citing "contractual compliance issues".
This is understood to mean that the aircraft has failed to meet the performance efficiency agreed to. Boeing and GE have failed to rectify the problem.
I guess this will just mean having to negotiate an agreement as to the amount of compensation prior to acceptance.
Not a good time for Boeing all round.

Time was, you could "Sell" airliners to your own International Lease Company which would eat up enormous losses while the plane company got ever fatter.
Well the banking crisis has put paid to that, now it's "How much will we have to pay you, to accept our aircraft!"

Boeing is so big these days, it behaves like a Government Department.
The ethos of derring-do planes is long gone, I remember being actually sad when they ate up McDonnell Douglas, last of the engineered species.

You have to hope they shake themselves out of their lethargy:
the best thing that ever happened was to have real, robust competition in the airliner business.
Boeing is now all that stands between Airbus and world domination.