Originally Posted by
ijgordon
Well there are big disruption costs for the operators, who will probably try to recoup from Boeing. So it's less about what they have to gain by resisting, and more about what they lose by going with the flow. Not sure exactly how that works in terms of if it's a voluntary grounding vs. a regulatory grounding, but I'm sure it's nicely laid out in the purchase contracts!
Given all of the interest from the general public on this, don't you think there is some reputation risk? Clearly things are forgotten so quickly in today's news cycle, but the average traveler may think "Wow, American and Boeing kept flying those planes when everyone else stopped because they didn't want to lose money, prioritizing profits over safety"
Originally Posted by
econometrics
This is quite interesting to watch. Just viewed the AA APA spokesman (who flies the MAX 8) on Squawk Box (CNBC), and they sure are holding a hard line on this. It's getting cringeworthy to watch AA keep defending the AA MAX 8 while literally the rest of the world backs away until the dust settles.
The AA APA spokesman says AA's MAX 8s have additional indicators on the planes, which others do not have. He says they're the only ones equipped with TWO AOA displays - one for each pilot. This, I guess, is why AA feels they can keep flying the MAX 8. The spokesman said he felt UA and SW were getting these added to their MAX planes.
https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/03/1...ilot-says.html
It is highly unusual, but maybe AA should state this clearly in some public communication as one rationale for keeping the planes in the air. Travelers are watching.