British Airways said yesterday that it was inviting five airplane makers to bid for an order of up to 60 regional jets worth $1 billion.

Larger and more powerful engines were later developed, and airplane makers created planes to take advantage of them.

A walkout at Boeing has all but shut down production at the airplane maker, cutting a $2 billion annual payroll in half.

But airplane makers also have limits on the amount of thrust that an engine can produce.

Believe it or not, what constitutes a bad flight is of intense interest to airlines and airplane makers.

And so in the end, almost all of America's major airplane makers took a pass.

The order is critical for both airplane makers.

But airplane makers pressed officials to issue the rules as a group, to avoid giving the impression that some aircraft were more vulnerable than others.

And, yes, manufacturers' fortunes are on the mend, but few besides airplane makers are celebrating.

Boeing, the world's leading airplane maker, is struggling to meet a record demand for its passenger planes, company and union officials said.