If there’s any plane that’s gotten a bad reputation, it’s the 737 MAX.
After being grounded for 18 months following the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019, the planes have gone through major software modifications. Although not cleared by the FAA for flight just yet, it’s expected to happen soon.
Assuming it does, American Airlines plans to add 737 MAX plans back into its roster this December. However they’re aware that many passengers might feel hesitant about flying on them.
American had said over the summer that if a passenger felt uncomfortable flying in a 737 MAX, they would allow them to change their flight for free. To help assuage potential concerns, the airline has now announced they will offer tours of the maligned planes.
According to CNBC, the tours are tentatively planned to take place at several airports, including LaGuardia (LGA), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Miami Internationa (MIA) sometime after Thanksgiving.
American says customers will be able to see the 737 MAX “up close and personal,” and mechanics as well as pilots will be on hand via video conferencing to answer any questions they might have.
Our take on this
In a word? Meh.
I don’t know what the bigwigs at American are thinking. But looking at a plane and possibly asking a mechanic or a pilot a question or two will not make me feel any safer about flying in one. Certainly not any safer than if I’d just read about it online (which, heaven knows, I have).
For Joe and my purposes though, it’s kind of a moot point. We never flew on the 737 MAX before the tragic crashes. Here’s why. None of those reasons are changing in the not-too-distant future.
As always, Your Mileage May Vary.
Feature Photo: American
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
2 comments
They do know that the plane crashed from the air and not while sitting stationary on the ground, right? Regardless, I don’t think they’d want me to tour…I’d ask them to demonstrate runaway trim.
Yeah. I’m sure people got tours of the Titanic while it was in dry dock, too…;-)