Marla Wilson takes a Southwest Airlines flight out of Oakland, Calif., about once a month, gathering mileage points for her trips with an airline credit card that she uses for most purchases.
But she’s questioning that loyalty now, and is dissatisfied with the Dallas-based carrier’s response to passengers who are unnerved by its use of Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft after two crashes in less than six months.
While China and Indonesia both grounded the planes following a crash outside Ethiopia’s capital city on Sunday that killed all 157 people aboard, the U.S. hasn’t followed suit, and the two largest carriers operating the jets, Southwest and American Airlines, continued to fly them on Monday. Both fielded dozens of queries on Twitter from passengers like Wilson who were wary of the jetliners, but neither was willing to waive fees for passengers to switch to different aircraft.
“Southwest passengers deserve something better than canned, emotionless responses,” Wilson told the Washington Examiner on Monday. “I love flying Southwest out of Oakland, but I love being alive even more.”
Other social media posts directed at the two airlines Sunday and Monday urged them to ground their 737-8 MAX planes, or at least give customers alternatives. Investigators haven’t yet determined what brought down the Ethiopian Airlines flight, but the crash focused more than usual attention on the type of plane involved, given the comparative newness of the 737 Max and a crash involving the same model in Indonesia in late October.
I’m booked on 17 @AmericanAir flights in next 5 weeks … I went flight-by-flight to see what plane each one is on. Thankfully, no plans to be on a #737MAX.
I’ve been on @AmericanAir flights delayed due to lack of ? and ginger ale. AA should ground the fleet out of caution. pic.twitter.com/vhrHhPGqha
— Chris Strub #SMMW19 (@ChrisStrub) March 11, 2019
@SouthwestAir In light of the recent tragedies, are you going to ground your #737MAX fleet?
— Tony (@itsenufalready) March 11, 2019
The first occurred after an “input error” involving a sensor designed to keep the aircraft from ascending so rapidly that it stalls. The error forced the plane downward too quickly for the pilot to compensate, authorities said. U.S. regulators required airlines last fall to update operations manuals on the handling of such issues.
Boeing, in 2011, began developing the Max upgrade to its 737 model, a single-aisle jet that’s one of the world’s most widely flown planes, as rival Airbus raked in rapid orders for a more fuel-efficient version of its competing A320.
Only about 350 of the 737 Max planes have been delivered so far, though the plane is the best-selling aircraft in Boeing’s history, with more than 4,600 orders.
If the plane’s relative youth brings heightened scrutiny of accidents, it also makes responding easier for governments, since grounding the aircraft doesn’t disrupt air travel as much as sidelining a more established plane might.
While reports have noted similarities between the Ethiopian and Lion Air crashes, “this investigation has just begun and to date, we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions,” the FAA said in a notice to 737-8 operators worldwide on Monday. “All data will be closely examined during this investigation, and the FAA will take appropriate action if the data indicates the need to do so.”
Chicago-based Boeing is working with both customers and regulators, said company spokesman Paul Bergman, and has sent a technical team of its own to Ethiopia.
“The investigation is in its early stages, but based on what has been uncovered so far, we do not have any basis to issue new guidance to operators,” he said.
Both American, which flies 24 Max-8 planes, and Southwest, which flies 34 of them, are monitoring developments.
Southwest has been in touch with Boeing and “remains confident in the airworthiness of our fleet of more than 750 Boeing aircraft,” said spokesman Chris Mainz. “We don’t have any changes planned to our operational policies or procedures.”
Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represents Southwest’s flight attendants, has contacted CEO Gary Kelly, urging him to decide swiftly about the potential risks of continuing to fly the Max 8, said President Lyn Montgomery. The organization’s priority is ensuring the safety of its members and flying passengers, she added.
“The tragic accident involving Ethiopian Airlines has led to worldwide speculation,” Montgomery said. “The concerns of the employees and the flying public need to be addressed and not taken lightly.”
Noting the lack of information on the cause of the crash, a spokesperson for Fort Worth, Texas-based American said on Monday that the carrier is working with regulators and its unions on appropriate responses. “We have full confidence in the aircraft and our crew members, who are the best and most experienced in the industry,” the spokesperson said.
Air Canada, the largest airline in America’s northern neighbor, said it’s continuing to fly its fleet of 24 737-8s. “We have extensive analytical data supporting the safety of these aircraft, which have also performed excellently from reliability and customer satisfaction perspective,” said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration, which grounded all 737-8 Max jets flown by the country’s airlines on Sunday evening, said it would work with the Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. and Boeing to resolve any concerns. The agency cited surface similarities in the Ethiopian and Indonesian crashes, noting that both occurred during the “take-off phase.”
Bound for Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after its takeoff at 8:38 a.m. Sunday, local time, from Addis Ababa. The flight was commanded by Yared Getachew, a
senior captain with more than 8,000 flight hours, according to the carrier, and the aircraft itself had returned to Addis Ababa from Johannesburg, South Africa, earlier Sunday morning. In the aftermath, the airline grounded its 737-8 Max planes as a precaution.
