What does the Boeing 747 Max debacle mean for Canadian air companies and travellers?
- Nikola Cvetkovic
- Apr 23, 2019
- 3 min read
In the days after the first Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 jet plunged into the Java Sea last October, company officials said they were moving quickly to update plane software suspected in the crash.
Six months and a second Max 8 disaster later, Boeing has yet to submit its fix to regulators.
This March, pilots and airline customers left a Federal Aviation Administration meeting with no idea when the grounded model would fly again. “We’ve taken off our watches and put the calendars in the drawer,” American Airlines pilot Dennis Tajer said after the meeting.
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg made a promise to travellers at the beginning of the month that when the grounded Boeing 737 Max planes return to the skies after a software fix due within weeks, they will be "among the safest planes ever to fly,'' he said.
"We remain confident in the fundamental safety of the 737 Max,'' Muilenburg said in a video accepting blame for Boeing's role in two fatal Max 8 crashes in five months. More than 300 Boeing 737 MAX jets have been grounded worldwide after nearly 350 people died in two crashes.
Sceptical travelers will likely need more convincing, presenting a major challenge to airlines including Air Canada and West Jet, when the planes return to their flight schedules.
Already, some are questioning Boeing's confidence in the plane. "737 Max is a super safe aircraft as long as it's on the ground,'' one Twitter user responded after Muilenburg posted a snippet of his video Thursday.
Airlines won't talk about their marketing plans for reintroducing the Max since there is no timeline for its return given the ongoing crash investigations and the software fix, which requires the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration and additional pilot training. Earlier this month, not unexpectedly, Boeing said it is temporarily slowing the production of its 737 line.
What are Canadian companies doing to help their travellers while Boeing works to solve the problem on this ground breaking fleet of planes?
Air Canada has grounded its 24 737 MAX aircraft until further notice. Air Canada is now updating its April and May schedule to further optimize its fleet and re-accommodate customers. As a result of the timeline for the return to service of the 737 Max is unknown, for planning purposes and to provide customers certainty for booking and travel, Air Canada is removing all 737 Max aircraft from its schedule until at least July 1, 2019.
To see the schedule for the flights and routes that have been affected by this change, click here.
West Jet has done the same, grounding their fleet and claiming that despite these fleet challenges, their completion factor (the percentage of flights completed) is 98 per cent and more than 80 per cent of their flights are arriving within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time. While these statistics are below their normal operating standards, they are pleased that WestJetters across the system have stepped up to assist in these unfortunate times.
A review by a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration panel into Boeing Co’s grounded 737 Max aircraft found a planned software update and training revisions to be “operationally suitable,” the agency said this Tuesday, an important milestone in getting the planes back in the air.
Only time will tell if these issued have been completely fixed, but it is safe to assume that travellers will be cautious of flying in an Boeing 737 Max for at least the first little while, until they have proven that the issues are fixed and the airplanes can be trusted.
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