Originally Posted by FFMilesJunkie

Sadly, perception is reality these days. We are a relatively small group of aviation "nerds" who follow the industry closely and look at the reaction here. This crash happened on a Sunday in Africa so the average American never saw the news. Just wait until tomorrow when the Fox and Friends/Today Show/Good Morning America do what they do best: If it bleeds, it leads. Sunday morning probably 95+% of average Americans would think you were speaking a different language if you said 737 Max 8. By tomorrow morning everyone will be calling American, Southwest, etc and asking if their next flight is on a Max 8. This has to be FREAK OUT time at Boeing and the airlines who fly the Max 8. The media will ride this story and force the airlines/FAA to make some really hard decisions, and I fear unfortunately many of those decisions will be based on public opinion and not facts.

I will admit that I'm hesitant to fly on a Max 8 right now and I've been OK flying on a B-17 flying fortress held together with duct tape!