If you’re making any travel plans in the near future, you might want to listen to these folks. A group of former Boeing senior managers and engineers have been telling reporters that they would not want their own friends and family members flying on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet at this time. This warning comes as the fleet of MAX 9s is returning to the skies after the nearly catastrophic blowout of one of the planes over Portland last month. One former senior manager said he would “absolutely not” fly a MAX airplane. He cites the pressure that employees are under at the production and maintenance facilities to “rush the planes out the door.” Unfortunately, frequent business flyers don’t always have many options in terms of the airlines they take or the model of plane they wind up on. But a little research can go a long way when making your plans. (NY Post)
Former high-level Boeing managers and engineers have issued startling warnings for flyers to avoid the airplane giant’s troubled 737 MAX 9 jets as the model once again takes to the skies.
“I would absolutely not fly a MAX airplane,” one-time senior Boeing manager Ed Pierson bluntly told the Los Angeles Times of the model that recently saw a door plug blow out in midair on an Alaska Airlines flight.
“I’ve worked in the factory where they were built, and I saw the pressure employees were under to rush the planes out the door.”
Another former Boeing engineer and FAA supervisor said that it was “premature” for airlines to have resumed flying the jets. He went on to say that he would “tell my family to avoid the MAX.” He learned during his time at Boeing that the company prioritizes profits over safety. Those are some damning allegations, but they come from a person in a position to know.
What can you do if you are concerned about the safety of the 737 MAX 9s but still have to travel? There are options available, but they are somewhat limited. The majority of commercial airliners in the world are produced by just two companies, Boeing and Airbus. (The latter is mostly in Europe.) But there are quite a few models currently in use. All of the MAX 9s being flown in the United States are used by United and Alaska Airlines. If you can avoid those two, you won’t wind up on a MAX.
As the name implies, the MAX 9 is one of the largest planes with the greatest passenger capacity (220). That means they need a lot of runway space to take off and land so they can only fly into and out of the larger airports. If you can book your trip using smaller, regional airports, you’ll wind up on a smaller plane. You can also check in advance to see which model of plane will be used on your flight. As you might expect, the more flexible you can be when making your travel plans, the greater the chance that you will be able to control whether or not you wind up on a MAX 9.
The infuriating part of all of this is that people shouldn’t be put in a position where they need to shop around in this fashion. The airlines, Boeing, the FAA, and the Department of Transportation are all supposed to be focused like a laser on air safety. While legitimate accidents can never be 100% eliminated, the public has a right to expect that all of the planes in use are as safe and reliable as they can possibly be. You shouldn’t need to spend your time fretting over which planes are or are not up to par and whether or not they are safe. These people need to be held accountable. Boeing’s stock has been tanking ever since the blowout. Perhaps that’s what it will take to get them to focus.
