Travel
Learjet's Famous Brand Is Dying a ‘Slow Death’
- Bombardier cuts cost, adds features to compete in niche market
- Sales drop as customer tastes shift to larger private aircraft
Bombardier Learjet 75.
Photographer: Chad Slattery/Bloomberg
Learjet -- once the epitome of luxury travel for celebrities like Frank Sinatra -- is gasping for breath, and Bombardier Inc. is making a last-ditch attempt to revitalize the brand.
It’s a tall task as demand for corporate planes has shifted to larger, more comfortable, longer-range aircraft. That has left the Learjet 75 Liberty competing in a shrinking market with newer and lower-price rivals.