Are Flyers Forgetting the 737 MAX’s Troubled History?
Joe Cortez December 28, 2020
A new survey by Reuters and Ipsos suggests only four out of ten Americans recall the two fatal accidents of the Boeing 737 MAX, which resulted in a grounding lasting nearly two years. But when reminded of the airframe’s history, 57 percent said they would avoid flying on the next-generation aircraft.
The flying public may be distancing the Boeing 737 MAX from the two fatal accidents that killed over 300 souls and forced the aircraft into a 20-month worldwide grounding. The data is one aspect of a survey released by Reuters and Ipsos asking passengers about their travel habits moving into 2021.
Four-in-Ten Recall the Accidents, While Three Percent Say Aircraft Model is Important
When the survey group was asked if they were familiar with the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, less people responded affirmatively than in previous polls. Only 39 percent said they were familiar, a drop of roughly 11 percent from the last time Reuters and Ipsos asked the public.
However, most people still attach the 737 MAX to the two tragedies. When asked about aircraft, nearly three-in-four correctly identified the 737 MAX as the airframe involved in the accidents – but it’s still down from 82 percent in the previous survey.
Although fewer flyers correctly recall the incidents, a reminder would be enough for them to avoid flying aboard the airframe altogether. Just over half of those asked said they were “not likely” to fly on the 737 MAX, while 37 percent say they would likely fly on a 737 MAX-operated flight after six months or more of successful flights.
As flyers consider their travel plans in a post-COVID-19 world, their minds are not focused on airplanes flown by carriers. Instead, their focus is on affordability, and what safety measures airlines are taking during the pandemic. In the group, 41 percent said price was their most important factor, while nearly one-quarter said “COVID-19 safety measures,” including blocked middle seats or face covering policies, were their biggest concerns. Only three percent said the aircraft type was the most important factor.
Avoiding 737 MAX May Be a Difficult Task Starting in 2021
Regardless of flyers’ feelings about the 737 MAX, avoiding flying aboard one may be difficult, depending on where you live. American Airlines will begin flying one 737 MAX flight between Miami and New York starting Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, but says passengers can opt-out if they wish. Alaska Airlines will add 68 additional 737 MAX airframes with options for more, while Ryanair increased their MAX order by 75. United Airlines is not planning to fly their 737 MAX airframes until February 2021, while Southwest Airlines – which owns the largest MAX fleet in the U.S. – will begin re-introducing the aircraft into their operations by the second quarter of 2021.
“We continue to work closely with global regulators and our customers to support the safe return of the fleet to service around the world,” a Boeing spokesperson told Reuters, when asked about the public opinion poll.
If it's Boeing, I ain't going. Too much dodgy chasing the bottom line over safety recently. For me it's Airbus if at all possible over Boeing any time!
Nope, will never forget. We booked a couple of tickets this week and made sure it was not on a 737. Alaska bought 28 of these, so we threw their cc in the trash. We never fly SW so that was not a problem.
Of course Flyers are forgetting that lack of competent training in third world countries can end in tears, just as they forget that the Max has significant time under its belt with first world operators and pilots without insurmountable difficulties. Yes, it proved to have a ‘do this or else that’ characteristic ... but so does flying a DH82. Never mind, after the interest that recertification has ignited has died down (in a week or so) and the diehard ‘I ain’t going if it’s a Boeing’ find the service they want is only operated by a Max ... and decide to fly on them after all ... we can all forget about Max ‘issues’ and think of Max for what it will always be ... a derivative of the vastly successful 737 family and a narrow gutted, claustrophobic alternative to the Airbus 3xx family.
Seems the only conclusion one can draw from the article is exactly the conclusion one could draw from almost any aspect of life... And I'm not so sure it is a modern/current phenomena... is that few remember the facts, they remember the hype. They remember the hype, because it is rammed down their throats. The clear answer is to fly only Airbus products... You know, the ones that never have issues because the European governments refuse to acknowledge them. Regardless of potential or actual risk. Isn't it interesting, the lack of discussion of the problem the A330 had in somewhat similar circumstances, except their issue manifested at altitude. Of course, you can't be a smug anti-american American and bash Airbus.
There are far more than new avionics and engines on the Max. And the 737 was built around a 707 fuselage. I'd get on one tomorrow.