BUT IS IT SAFE TO FLY?
Boeing prided itself on its culture of engineering excellence and its slogan “If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going” was adopted by pilots and passengers alike.
But the firm’s reputation has taken a serious nosedive this year. Some people are changing their flights to avoid Boeings, choosing competitors such as Airbus even if it means paying to rebook trips. Others are using flight search filters to exclude Boeing.
Some experts, however, believe the fear is groundless.
“I had people visiting me last week who said they were afraid to fly home,” said Kathleen Bangs, an aviation safety analyst and former commercial pilot. “But you have absolutely no reason to be afraid whatsoever.”
Aviation safety expert Shawn Pruchnicki says he has “zero concern” about flying with Boeing, adding that pilots are familiar with incidents involving wheels coming off or panels being ripped off.
“The two events that are meaningful were the Max 8 crashes and I believe those issues have been solved,” he said.
But Ed Pierson, a former Boeing executive, says he “would absolutely not” fly a Max airplane. “I’ve worked in the factory where they were built and I saw the pressure employees were under to rush planes out the door.”
Boeing maintains quality and safety remain paramount and the recent challenges have intensified their commitment to these areas.
“Our longterm focus is on improving our quality so we can regain the confidence of our customers and the flying public,” Stan Deal, the head of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, said in a statement.
“Frankly, we have disappointed and let them down.”
‘I SAW THE PRESSURE EMPLOYEES WERE UNDER’