Pursuits
Learjet’s Fall From Luxe to Loser Reflects Rising Bar for Swank
- Once a coveted status symbol, aircraft’s long career nears end
- Bombardier will wind down production to focus on bigger planes
Bombardier Inc.’s decision this week to pull the plug on the Learjet ushers in the end of what once was the ultimate symbol of success, whisking the powerful and the prominent across the skies.
Despite spending three decades and billions of dollars, efforts toward resuscitating the fading brand were simply no match for deep-pocketed rivals and an ever-rising bar for what defines luxury transport.