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The Boeing 737 MAX is back, but not everyone is excited.
Twenty months after the first grounding after two fatal accidents, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared the way for the plane to fly again.
For the airlines that will operate the MAX, this creates a complex problem. How will you handle it when a traveler is afraid to get on board?
Airlines ordered the 737 MAX in droves when it first launched, and there are now more than 5,000 on the books worldwide.
The fourth-generation version of the 737 offers huge efficiency improvements, burning 14% less fuel than the previous generation. Its new, efficient engines also offer a 40% lower noise footprint on the ground with a quieter ride for those in the cab.
Airlines were excited about the MAX and proudly displayed it to their customers when it first entered service. Then the accidents began.
On October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 sank in the Java Sea shortly after takeoff. Then, on March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed just six minutes after takeoff. The similarities between the crashes were striking, but before the final cause was determined, global pressure led to the plane landing.
Feeling of fear
At the time of grounding, American, Southwest, and United were the only US-based carriers flying the MAX with a total of 72 aircraft in their fleets, according to data from Cirium. These were quickly shipped to long-term storage and subsequent deliveries suspended.
For the past 20 months, travelers have been regularly bombarded with news about what went wrong.
While inexperienced pilots were initially blamed for the crashes, it soon became clear that the plane’s automation was largely to blame. This revelation made travelers uncomfortable, and as the bad news accumulated, the belief that the MAX was unsafe became ubiquitous in travelers’ minds.
The MAX has now been so thoroughly reviewed by regulators and reworked by Boeing that it should be considered incredibly safe.
The additional pilot training requirements should help instill even more confidence in the plane, but it’s hard to shake off the feeling of fear that many travelers will encounter anytime soon.
For that reason, airlines have responded with special policies for customers when putting the plane back into service.
Rumor has it that Boeing was considering renaming the MAX as a way to sever the connection to the aircraft’s troubled past, but that doesn’t seem to be on the cards.
Earlier this year, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun seemed inclined not to make changes. “My instinct is that a change, just a direct change with a new name would be silly,” he said. “Our opportunity is simply to restore faith and trust in the 737 family.”
That thought still seems to be in place; Boeing’s return-to-service announcement prominently named the 737 MAX aircraft.
‘Transparency and flexibility’
Airlines also seem to be embracing the idea that cutting back on the past is a bad idea for building customer trust. All of the US based carriers have made it clear that they will make sure the customer knows that they will be flying in a MAX for the sake of transparency.
American Airlines had received 24 MAX aircraft prior to grounding, and has 10 more by the end of the year, President Robert Isom confirmed at the Skift Aviation Forum this week.
It is expected to be the first to return the aircraft to regular commercial service with a scheduled daily flight between Miami and New York / LaGuardia beginning Dec. 29.
If a traveler doesn’t want to fly the plane, an airline spokesperson succinctly explained the airline’s strategy, “In short: transparency and flexibility.”
When travelers search to book on the American website, they see the aircraft that is scheduled to operate on each flight. If it is a MAX, it will be clearly displayed as such. Even if someone books a MAX and is uncomfortable later, there will be some flexibility to allow free changes.
But what if American swaps planes and places a MAX on a route that was supposed to be operated by another plane?
American says it will have an “improved notification process” to inform travelers that they have been transferred to a MAX. Travelers will then be able to switch to a different flight or, if no other option is available, change their destination to anywhere within 300 miles of the original destination. Travelers can always cancel the flight and put it on a credit for future travel.
United, with 14 MAX aircraft currently in the fleet, will take another step forward when the aircraft returns to service in the first quarter of 2021. It says it will not put a MAX on any route where it is not scheduled.
United also confirmed that travelers who do not want to fly in a MAX will be rebooked at no cost or eligible to have their tickets refunded.
Alternative options
Southwest was the largest operator prior to grounding with 34 MAX aircraft in the fleet. It is taking a slower, no-return-to-service approach through Q2 2021. In the meantime, it has created an online 737 MAX Resource Center for customers.
Southwest only flies 737s, so it knows the confusion can cause doubts across the fleet once the MAX is back in the air.
Southwest has yet to publish exact guidelines for customers, as it will not place paying customers on the plane for several months, but it does say it will allow “customers who have booked a 737 MAX 8 to request a change to a flight our 737-700 or 737-800 aircraft as they approach their departure date, subject to seat availability. “
The airline added that there will be no additional charge as long as the cities of origin and destination remain the same.
Alaska Airlines had not received the MAX before it was on the ground, but expects to receive the first in January with first commercial service in March.
Alaska’s key focus is safety. Case in point: The first page of the dedicated Alaska MAX website uses the word “insurance” 25 times.
All these exception policies for MAX it will be temporary, and American says they will be implemented “in the short term,” though how long that will actually be remains to be seen.
Internationally, the MAX still needs approval from other regulators to get back on track. The European Aviation Safety Agency is expected to begin consultations on whether it will follow its US counterpart in the coming weeks, but is not expected to disconnect before the start of 2021.
It is not yet clear how many international carriers will handle the return of the plane. Low-cost Ryanair, one of Europe’s largest airlines, has reportedly said that it will not inform customers if they are scheduled to fly on one of its MAX jets as they are only allocated one day before flying.
When the MAX returns to service and travelers see the plane flying safely day after day, the hope is that the fear will fade and most people can once again forget about the plane they are flying on, just as it used to be. .
However, until that happens, travelers will have many options to avoid the plane.
