Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg issued an extensive statement concerning the preliminary report on flight 302 by Ethiopian Airlines. In it, he seems to apologize and accept blame for both the Lion Air and Ethiopian 737 MAX crashes. He also promises a quick software fix that will make the MAX “among the safest airplanes ever to fly.” […]
Huge Changes To United MileagePlus Coming On November 15, 2019
United Airlines is making big changes to the MileagePlus program this November. I just got off the phone with Luc Bondar, United’s Vice President of Loyalty and head of the MileagePlus program: we spoke for 35 minutes. I’ll have a much more detailed post on everything discussed later, but here is what is changing: Starting […]
A History Of Aircraft Groundings (Part 3 – Boeing 737 MAX)
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the USA, has graciously written a three-part series on the history of aircraft groundings. Today, we explore part three, on the current Boeing 737 MAX grounding. Click here for part one on the propellor age and here for part two on the jet age. Today’s post includes the author’s […]
Lufthansa May Buy 100+ Boeing 737 MAX
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr claims his airline has not lost faith in Boeing and is mulling a narrowbody order for over 100 aircraft. Speaking about Boeing, Spohr told Reuters: We have not lost our trust in Boeing. They’ve built wonderful aircraft over the decades, and I am sure they will fix the current issue… Between […]
Garuda Indonesia’s Threat To Cancel 737 MAX 8 Order Is Likely A Bluff
In my own import/export business, I’ve learned the great power of a bluff. I’ve got the feeling that is what Garuda Indonesia doing in “canceling” its large Boeing 737 MAX 8 order. It was Winston Churchill who was first said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” In a sense, Garuda Indonesia has a fiduciary duty […]
An Open Letter From Boeing CEO On 737 MAX Crashes
Boeing Chairman, President, and CEO penned an open letter to “airlines, passengers, and the aviation community” on Boeing’s commitment to safety. It’s worth a few minutes of your time to read and consider. I have included the full text of the letter below, but if you prefer to listen, a video recording of the letter […]
Ethiopian Captain Never Had 737 MAX Simulator Training
Yared Getachew, the captain onboard doomed Ethiopian Flight 302, never had Boeing 737 Max 8 simulator training, despite Ethiopian Airlines’ acquisition of a simulator months earlier. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, insiders at Ethiopian told the New York Times that Ethiopian had a Boeing 737 MAX 8 simulator up and running in January, but […]
737 MAX Customers Have Nowhere Else To Turn But To Boeing…
In a world of mounting backorders in which demand far outstrips supply, disgruntled Boeing 737 MAX customers cannot just take their business elsewhere. Not if they wish to enjoy any semblance of timely delivery. There are likely escape clause provisions in most of Boeing’s 737 MAX contracts that would allow big customers like Norweigan or WestJet […]
Three Airlines, Three Very Different Approaches To 737 MAX Tragedy
The crash of 737 MAX 8 jetliner in Ethiopia two weeks ago has evoked starkly different reactions depending on who you ask. Airlines have reacted in the same way. While Garuda mulls cancellation, flydubai digs in, and Norwegian fumes. We’re still too early in the aftermath of the tragedy to understand what precisely happened to cause the deadly […]
Captain Sully Weighs In On Boeing 737 MAX Crash
Captain Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the pilot who skilfully landed US Airways 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009, has harsh words for both Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines. The “Miracle on the Hudson” pilot is an Aviation and Safety Expert for CBS News but weighed in on the recent Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX crash on his […]
Tacky: France Already Using 737 MAX Incident To Undercut Boeing
I get it. All is fair in love and war and it is war between Airbus and Boeing. But I’m not impressed by actions of the French President just days after the horrific Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash that killed 159 people in Ethiopia. Bloomberg reports: French President Emmanuel Macron has meanwhile held discussions with […]
FAA Explains Why Trump Grounded Boeing 737 MAX
Just moments ago, U.S. President Donald Trump stated he was grounding all Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in the United States by Executive Order. Now the Federal Aviation Administration has issued its own explanation. Via Twitter, the FAA stated: The FAA is ordering the temporary grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines or in […]
Help Me Plan My 737 MAX Trip With My Two-Year-Old…Or Not?
I want to take my son on a 737 MAX trip this weekend, lest I ever be accused of hypocrisy. Earlier today, I made (or attempted to make) a rather abstract argument that perhaps we are acting too hastily in grounding the 737 MAX. Reader Joey suggested: To prove your point, it may be a […]
The Boeing 737 MAX And Iraq War Redux
The evidence was irrefutable. Every credible intelligence agency agreed. Only idiots didn’t understand. Statesmen from both sides of the aisle and the enlightened countries of the world all saw the imminent threat. Billions of dollars were spent. Lives were lost. Blood was shed. The problem was removed. And yet the smoking gun was never […]
President Trump Weighs In On Boeing 737 MAX Crash
U.S. President Donald Trump has just weighed in on the Boeing 737 MAX crash…via Twitter. Let’s first look at what the president said in a series of two tweets just after 10:00AM ET this morning: Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I […]
Exclusive: U.S. Commercial Pilot Addresses Boeing 737 MAX Safety
121pilot, a frequent commenter on this blog, is a U.S. commercial airline pilot. I asked him to address the safety of the Boeing 737 MAX and he graciously agreed. His thoughts are below. There has been a great deal of concern within the aviation community after the recent crash of an Ethiopian 737 MAX, shortly […]
As China Grounds 737 MAX, Safety Questions Abound
Tragically, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX traveling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed shortly after takeoff yesterday. 159 perished and there were no survivors. The second crash of this aircraft variant in a matter of months has left many unanswered safety questions. In a move that is politically convenient but can be attributable solely to […]
United’s 2019 Growth Strategy: Target Hubs
After a year of robust “easy” growth, now United will try a riskier growth strategy: small-city growth from its hubs. United’s domestic growth last year was predicated on “low hanging fruit”. The Chicago-based airline increased service to Hawaii and many larger U.S. cities and was able to sustain that growth through improved operational reliability and […]
United Airlines’ 2019 Fleet Plan
United Airlines will add 40 mainline aircraft to its fleet in 2019, the most since 2010. While United will retire nine narrow-body aircraft this year (three 757-200s, two A319s, and four A320s), it will more than offset the retirements with the addition of 40 new aircraft. The new mainline aircraft will include: 20 737 MAX […]
American Airlines Puts Lipstick On A Pig, 737 MAX Style
In attempt to make passengers more comfortable, American Airlines is retrofitting one lavatory door on its Boeing 737 MAX. Currently, the lavatories on AA’s Boeing 737 MAX have “slab doors” just outside the rear galley. Those doors open into the aisles and can bang against each other when opened at once. This has led passengers to congregate in […]
