SW pilots sue Boeing over 737 Max

Airline union contends grounding of aircraft led to financial losses

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines pilots are suing airplanemaker Boeing for financial losses from the grounding of the 737 Max.

The union says the Dallasbased airline has lost more than 30,000 scheduled flights since the Federal Aviation Administration grounded the jets in March. Pilots, they say, have lost $100 million in wages since the grounding.

“Boeing knew or should have known that the 737 MAX was unsafe, un-airworthy, and placed SWAPA pilots, the passengers in their care, and others, in danger,” says the lawsuit filed by the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association.

Boeing 737 Max jets have been grounded worldwide since March after plane crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed a combined 346 passengers and crew members. The crashes have been linked to a faulty software system and sensor meant to keep the plane flying level.

“As pilots, there is nothing more important to us than the safety of our passengers,” said a statement from Capt. Jon Weaks, president of Southwest Airlines Pilots Association. “We have to be able to trust Boeing to truthfully disclose the information we need to safely operate our aircraft. In the case of the 737 MAX, that absolutely did not happen.”

Boeing hoped to get the planes flying within a few weeks of the March grounding, but it’s been nearly seven months. Boeing says it hopes to get the plane certified to fly early in the fourth quarter, which started a week ago.

The plane manufacturer said in an email to Bloomberg that it considers the lawsuit to be “meritless.”

“We will continue to work with Southwest Airlines and its pilots on efforts to safely return the Max to service,” Boeing said.

Southwest said it doesn’t expect to fly the Max again this year.