I won't claim that this idea is original. Some people have probably thought of it. I got it from this:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21078/second-world-warIt's a simple board game on WWII designed by an instructor on conflict simulations in the UK (check out the course's web-site BTW...a lot of the designs by the students are up there and although not all of them are polished, they are very interesting).
Anyway, strategic combat against the industrial capabilities of one's enemy in the game is handled like this:
1) Allies can attack Germany's industries through heavy bombing.
2) Germany can attack Allies's industries by attacking convoys from North America to England.
I was thinking this would play well with AH's plane set; I used to play in WB and one frequent source of argument concerning the game balance in the game once everything went to an Axis and Allies arena was that the Axis didn't have the heavy bombers like the Allies and thus, just couldn't beat them in base closing/capturing ability.
AH has this same "bomber imbalance" but this is due to history; the Axis just didn't devote the resources into developing heavy bombers that the Allies did and they focused on more tactical air forces.
I'm not saying that things should be Germany vs Allies in such an arena...if anything, the Axis would need Japan's carrier borne air resources to make a "fair fight" of attacking shipping convoys but it might make for an interesting variation of strat where the impact made by the Axis is made by sinking convoys rather than bombing cities.