Book Review: "Boeing versus Airbus: The Inside Story of the Greatest International Competition in Business"

While I love traveling and am a big commercial aviation "fan," I am also interested in big business and how various businesses and industry work. Boeing versus Airbus: The Inside Story of the Greatest International Competition in Business by John Newhouse was the perfect book to marry these two passions.

John Newhouse offers an engrossing peek behind-the-scenes of the business rivalry of the two remaining titans of commercial airplanes, Boeing and Airbus. I thought the book was a little sluggish to start, a bit scattershot as it bounced from topic to topic. However, it settled in a well-paced narrative that laid out the evolution of these two companies' place  in the commercial aviation industry.

Reading numerous reviews of travel experiences as well as having traveled over the years and being fascinated with commercial aviation, I was well versed with aircraft in the book. Also, I know a fair amount about the commercial aviation business from the layperson's perspective, but I know far less about the aircraft manufacturers. As with any industry, any outside perspective deviates significantly from the perspective of those inside the business. This book does a good job of highlighting the behind-the-scenes view of Boeing and Airbus. The book reviews business strategies, the personality of the various leaders and executive suite maneuverings of the two companies and the impact of government on the industry. 

If you are an "aviation geek" or enjoy learning about the inner workings of business or real world drama executive drama, this book is for you.