Europe has a history of developing big grandstanding projects that make no commerical sense. Case in point: the Concorde, an interesting technical feat with no economic logic. It was a huge fiancial failure. Boeing determined that the future of air travel is the more convenient point to point rather than huge hubs where everyone has to reboard a flight to their acutal destination. So Boeing, being a profit driven free enterprise company, would not risk billions to develop a national pride symbol. Only Airbus, who epitomize corporate welfare and had their hands out to the European taxpayers, can afford to take such risks. Beoing is developing a smaller fuel efficient aircraft called the Dreamliner. Now Airbus wants billions more from the European taxpayers so they can develop an answer to Boeings Dreamliner.