737=Duct Tape
 

I'd really like to believe that UA isn't skimping on the important things, but on each of my last 3 flights on a soon to be retired 737 a mechanic has come onboard to anchor something down with duct tape. Today it was a broken seat-back tray. This is a "world class" airline?

UA has not been fixing non-critical items on 737s for at least 5 months now, and I certainly wouldn't expect that to change. This is not a safety issue, and these planes will all be grounded by the end of the year. What did you want them to do?

They won't all be grounded until well into 2009.

What real man out there is finding a problem with duct tape?.....

Certainly not.... especially not domestically. Who said they were?

Well, their ads give the impression they are, for one place.

Not even 3rd world class. Domestic or international.

They do.

So is this a United mechanic?

No its a southwest one! ;)

Run, cattle cars...

Use of "Duct Tape" to anchor and/or secure Table Trays is in violation of FAA safety rules. This does become a "safety issue" because the Table Trays anchored/secured by only Duct Tape could possibly fly open and cause bodily harm in case of an emergency landing, etc.

This whole situation makes me think of DL's 727 in the late nineties, which had duct tape all over the place.

Duct tape always worked for Uncle Red on the Red Green show!

My sister is all into duct tape now because it comes in purple, and teal, and ...

I know we could argue circles about this shouldn't be allowed to happen, so forth and so on. In this razor thin margin industry... blah blah ... etc...

However, evaluating your options strictly at boarding though, its either duct tape or delaying and possibly canceling the flight to properly maintain an item that has a really low probably of inflicting any serious harm or death on a passenger. Of course the possibility is there, but I then again it would suck to be a passenger who had their flight canceled because of it.