Fliers plan to avoid Boeing 737 Max jets

In the weeks since Boeing 737 Max jets were grounded worldwide following a pair of catastrophic crashes that killed 346 people, the company has focused its energy on returning the embattled new jet to service.

It cut its production rate so it could devote more resources to a software fix it hopes will satisfy regulators in the United States, China and Europe, and convened meetings to update the aviation industry on its progress. Airlines are telling customers they expect the planes to be cleared to fly again before September.

But a survey released Tuesday suggests that the flying public could prove to be the plane's toughest critics. A steady stream of negative headlines has sapped confidence in the Max's safety credentials and investors are beginning to worry that customers might avoid the new jets even after regulators return them to the air.

In a survey of 1,765 fliers conducted by Barclays investment bank, 44% of respondents said they would wait a year or more before flying the 737 Max, compared with 39% who said they would do so within a few months of its reentry into service.

Only 20% said they would fly on a Max as soon as the grounding order is lifted, and 52% said they would rather fly on another type of aircraft.

Barclays downgraded its rating for Boeing stock on the basis that “a large portion of fliers are likely to avoid 737 Max for an extended period beyond when the grounding is lifted,” Barclays analysts wrote in a note to investors. Boeing stock dropped by almost 4% Tuesday, tracking along with a broader market sell-off.

Boeing executives' public statements have become increasingly apologetic as evidence has mounted that an automatic anti-stalking feature added into the Max jets played a role in both crashes.

“We at Boeing are sorry for the lives lost in the recent 737 MAX accidents,” Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg wrote in early April. He later wrote: “I cannot remember a more heartwrenching time in my career with this great company.”