Consumers' perception of Airbus and Boeing

In despite of a very strong competition, Airbus and Boeing keep on reigning the aeronautic sector. Two of the key factors of this success is a good perception from customers and a strong brand awareness, that is to say the way of the two brands are represented in people's mind. However, they also undergo some limits. 

First, it is important to remind that Airbus and Boeing do business in BtoBtoC : they work with countries and private buyers but the final consumer is the passenger who hopes to travel without facing problems. So, perception of a State is as important as perception of the large public. 

Airbus and Boeing are well-perceived by large public and States. Airbus is seen that a very innovative company which explains its success currently. Its aim is to allow passengers to benefit from the best performances and flight qualities as possible, reduces exploitation costs and a better comfort. The A380 plane was a case in point. For instance, Airbus was one of the first aeronautic constructors to use composite materials, allowing them to save weight and finally to reduce fuel consumption. Concerning Boeing, the brand is also very innovative with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane in 2009 for example but the consumers' perception is focused on passengers comfort. 

According to the large public, when we ask him what are the French companies for which he has a good image, Airbus ranks 2nd :

However, Boeing and Airbus have a current perception problem that they have to face : technical problems in an area of safety. Indeed, Boeing has undergone different problems with the structure of the 787 Dreamliner's rear fuselage. Some gaps have been discovered and have caused sections of the carbon-fiber. In addition, European air safety regulators have inspected the A380 plane after having discovered some cracks in critical wing components in 2012.

Boeing and Airbus have immediately reacted but they have to be careful because if the large public thinks that a model is unsure or less sure than other planes, his perception can change, modify his preferences and have an impact on the sales. 

Source :

http://investorplace.com/2012/02/boeing-and-airbus-have-a-perception-problem/#.Up8x_8TuJOE
http://www.lamatrice.com/FR/barometre-posternak-ifop-entreprises.html
http://www.boeingcontreairbus.sitew.com/#INNOVATIONS.D