Altaflyer

skybluesea

delete

24left

@skybluesea

Sometimes, experts need to put themselves in the shoes of those who know much less and those who may have fears.

You have knowledge and experience most people don't. Many FFs and FTers do as well. Given your profession and credentials perhaps, you should understand the power of media in either creating hysteria and panic, or just pushing it along a little.

It doesn't matter if many are fearful of this aircraft.

See the 2 comments from UA posters I linked above. One FTer changing his AC flight on the 7M8. The other asking how FTers, of all people, are worried abut this and so on.

There is part of the answer, and that's with audience who knows things. Now imagine how busy CNN and the other guys are, feeding this information to the masses, most of whom may be FOTSGs.

We know fear is not always rational, so why would you expect anything other that some hysteria among the public (and even a knee-jerk but likely political move by China)?

kthpence

What a weird hypothetical & I think you know the answer to the question you're asking.

canadiancow

Call them up, explain your request, and see what they say. It never hurts to ask.

That's technically true, but I don't think (s)he was asking about anything permitted under the fare rules, or it wouldn't have been worth a post.

Reservations phone agents generally have no idea how SDC works.

If you want to fly YVR-CUN (I assume that's a thing?), show up at the airport in time for that flight and see if they'll execute that SDC for you. Changing from two segments to one is a very common and understood reason for wanting a SDC. Though due to the date issues, it would not surprise me if some/many/all agents refuse.

If you want something else, it will depend heavily on what exactly that routing is.

Actually, I have no first-hand experience with this, and can only offer advice that may or may not work. But I appreciate you pinging me. I definitely appreciate getting an email when my name is mentioned in a statement that is false and does not require an urgent reply from me.

Simon

https://www.caymanairways.com/CALsuspendsMax8Operations

marke190

EDIT: Sorry, just saw the earlier posts.

Interesting that China has suspended MAX operations but fairly low impact as there are only ~ 20 of these aircraft operating there.

24left

Posted earlier upthread

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Transpacificflyer

We have not yet had the benefit of the findings of comprehensive investigations. Boeing has already demonstrated that the aircraft was 'safe'. It had to certify not just for the US market, but had to also certify for the EU and China according to their standards. Yes, there is a need to exercise caution, but focusing only on mechanical defect including the operating software system is a limiting position and does not take into account a major contributing factor in all air crash incidents; Human error and training.

The preliminary Lion Air findings indicated that both Maintenance policy and Pilot training were a factor in the crash. In respect to the Ethiopian crash we have no idea as to what occurred, nor do we know how the pilots were trained. For all anyone knows it could be something completely unrelated to the alleged control defect as the pilot had sent a distress message prior to impact. I emphasize that the Thai Lion and Ethiopian Air incidents involve pilots who were new to the aircraft as both aircraft were very recent deployments. In respect to the Chinese decision, while on the surface, a prudent decision, one should not be naive. China is the land of escalators that regularly decapitate and debone users, to which the Chinese government has not responded. China is currently in a near trade war with the USA and threatened to curtail Boeing sales in the past year. As such, the position is most likely motivated by politics and not safety.

I do appreciate that people are concerned, and I would be a liar to not have my own concern. I was caught unaware when I boarded my last 737 Max flight in January for a 5 1/2 hour flight. I have nothing negative to say about the quality of the flight, despite our flying through some heavy weather. At the very least one can have a laugh at the Air Canada comment in the Toronto Star;
Air Canada spokeswoman Isabelle Arthur said in a statement. “These aircraft have performed excellently from a safety, reliability and customer satisfaction perspective.” Unfortunately, not the best public statement from Air Canada.

Stranger

That's probably why they can afford to... Plus, there might be a bit of politics at play here?

CZAMFlyer

I smell a global grounding coming, based upon suspicion only. I'd be happy to be wrong, however I trust some AC execs & managers have been called into work this fine Sunday. A mandated grounding of any length would create chaos for schedules in the short term, undermine long-term consumer confidence in the aircraft in the medium-term and possibly alter fleet-planning direction in the long-term.

Despite the above, I don't think one need fear the Max at this stage, or worry about changing flights to a different routing to avoid it, but I certainly understand that some people's peace of mind is worth any inconvenience. We all know the probability of being on a flight with a premature return to earth is exceedingly low, but it's not just about cold facts & stats with a hot-button issue like air travel. Few industries have such high customer participation combined with such low customer understanding.

I would caution against a few things: suggesting people avoid the mainstream media when seeking information about this or other incidents, implying that FT members are experts in aviation incidents & hazard assessments and considering AC's pilot training superior to that found among other Max operators.

yhzflyer

According to the NY Times:

China’s main airlines are among the biggest users so far of the new Boeing jets, having ordered at least 104 of them and taken delivery already of at least 70. By contrast, many other carriers, often in slower-growing markets than China’s, have taken delivery of only a small fraction of their orders for the Boeing 737 Max.

pitz

So there's 24 of them on AC property. If the FAA grounds them pending a proper fix (ie: proper redundant/fault tolerant AoA instrumentation for the MCAS), aside from the routes that absolutely require 737s, can the rest of the fleet pick up the slack? Probably, barring a major air travel downturn due to the weak economy, be a real problem in the summer, eh, since a system almost certainly would take more than 2-3 months to design, test, manufacture, and install?

24left

And you felt this caution was necessary because of the quotes below?

Where is it stated FT member are experts in aviation?

CZAMFlyer

Is this a question or a statement? Please use full sentences so that I may answer in the best way I can.