Boeing’s Plane Turmoil May Make Summer Travel Worse
In this Bloomberg Originals mini-documentary, we explain how the continuing fallout from the Alaska Air door panel blowout could impact your vacation plans.
Once the pride of American aviation, Boeing keeps making headlines for all the wrong reasons. A little more than five years ago, two of its new 737 Max planes crashed as a result of a flaw in its flight-control software, killing 346 people. Since then, a series of chief executives have struggled to regain the trust of both the public and regulators amid a drumbeat of criticism over safety, profit and how the company balances the two.
In the aftermath of another incident—in this case a panel blowing off of a Boeing 737 Max plane in January—US officials ordered a limit on the aircraft’s manufacturing. While intended to focus Boeing on safety, the move has put a major dent in the production of new planes—with thousands already on back order. While Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun says the company has changed since the January mishap, things could get decidedly inconvenient for the flying public. In this Bloomberg Originals mini-documentary, we explain how this state of affairs could fill your summer airport experience with frustration.