Originally Posted by
FlyerJ
Perhaps you should re-read my post.
You’re claiming that WestJet (and United, and countess other airlines) intentionally risked the safety of their planes, passengers and crew in order to save a few bucks? That they intentionally and knowingly “skimped” on safety??
No. Each airline purchased the Max with the understanding that the aircraft was 100% safe. That should be a given when buying a Boeing-built, FAA-certified aircraft.
At the time when the planes were purchased, these options were there to customize cockpit features and flight controls, not to make the plane “safer”.
(There are some features - like additional cargo hold fire suppression - that are absolutely only safety options. Neither AC nor WS purchased those.)
It’s only with the luxury of hindsight that you and some in the media can claim that the MCAS/AOA options were “safety features”, as - with hindsight - it could now be argued that the one extra feature purchased by AC might have reduced the risk of an MCAS incident.
But to say that WestJet, United, et al “skimped” on safety is entirely unfair and unwarranted.
The FAA only certified the aircraft to min safety requirements. It's up to the airlines themselves if they want additional safety measures. AC added these measures, where WS only added one. Look at it as if the Max was a car. Which car would be safer for you to drive. One with air bags, one which out. This feature does not effect how the car drives, but the car is safer for pax with air bags.
UA was just cheap - They were the only North American airline not to take/add any safety extra's.