Dreamliners: Not As Good As They Used to Be
Joe Cortez August 07, 2019
The number of airlines frustrated with Boeing is growing, as KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the latest to express dismay. In comments to a Dutch newspaper, the airline said they had problems with Boeing’s late deliveries and poor quality controls.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is joining fellow airlines in criticizing aircraft manufacturer Boeing, particularly when it comes to deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner. AirlinerWatch reports the flag carrier was not happy with their first 787-10, which was delayed and suffered from a myriad of post-delivery issues.
Speaking to a Dutch aviation website, a spokesperson from KLM explained that the airline was supposed to receive the first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner in June 2019, exactly 100 days before they began celebrations of their 100th anniversary. Instead, the delivery was delayed and arrived with some issues. Problems with the new aircraft included loose seats, missing parts and an unattached fuel pipe clamp.
The aircraft came from Boeing’s factory in Charleston, South Carolina. KLM is placing the blame squarely on that shop, claiming the late delivery was due in part to a lack of factory workers and bad quality assurance. The same factory came under scrutiny earlier in 2019, when whistleblowers accused Boeing of valuing “production speed over quality.”
Other airlines are also taking note of Dreamliner aircraft coming from Charleston. Reportedly, Qatar Airways will only take Dreamliner deliveries from the Everett, Washington factory, while Etihad noted a recent Dreamliner handed over to it was “very bad.” And in August 2019, Ryanair executive Michael O’Leary had a very direct message for the Chicago-based aerospace company over the 737 MAX worldwide grounding.
However, not all is looking down for Boeing. Despite the troubles, KLM is very happy with the Dreamliner’s operational performance and wants more of the aircraft in the fleet. In addition to ordering more Dreamliners, KLM will exchange some of their Airbus A350 orders with sister airline Air France for additional Boeing airframes.
[Featured Image: KLM]
I flew on a 787-10 from BKK to SIN in business class on Singapore Airlines about a week ago. The plane didn't seem to have any issues with it. Everything worked fine in the cabin. It was a much nicer experience than the old A330 that used to handle this flight (and I say that as someone who loved the 330 when it was younger). My only issue was that I felt the seat wouldn't be comfortable in a lie flat position for someone like me, who's 6'2" tall and has size 12 (US) feet. I felt like my feet wouldn't fit in the well very comfortably and I also felt like the back of the seat had some kind of overhang that made it seem like it would be quite claustrophobic. The seat issue is SQ's, however, not Boeing.
Have a look, this is old news, and not fake news as FlyGUYClipper say ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvkEpstd9os&t=105s
^ Oh gee, another brainwashed Trumper.
FlyGuy, is your post for real? Are you a Boeing spy?
One only has to click to read the source materials. Since there have been numerous complaints of Boeing leaving excess materials and other waste on delivered aircraft, I believe this post to be very accurate!