a reply to:
Violater1
Aside from seat pitch (which isn't the airplane's fault) I don't have an axe to grind with any other airliner, even in the Boeing fleet. 737-NG, 747,
757, 767, 777 (I've not flown on a 787 yet) are all fine. Airbus 318, 319, 320 and 321, all fine.
It's the 737 MAX which is in the spotlight of my ire here. Oh, I'm sure they will get the airplane fixed at some point, and it will be perfectly
safe. However, that's not the point; the point is, the airlines, Boeing and the FAA have broken my trust completely with this airplane. The point is
they tried to get away with pulling a fast one, and then, even worse, they tried to defend it. "They" being not just Boeing, but the airlines too,
AND the FAA. None of them stood up and said "STOP!" None of them! And the airplane continued to fly for 5 whole months.
Then, (finally) China had to step up and say 'stop'. China was followed by Indonesia and Mongolia (Mongolia of all places). BUT, even though this
was happening, the FAA said the plane was still certified to fly.
The next day, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey and Europe (EASA) along with Canada, Australia and Malaysia grounded the MAX. BUT, Still
nothing
from the FAA or Boeing or any airline. Just silence.
The following day it took Trump issuing a directive to the FAA to ground the MAX to get them to finally act. I'm firmly convinced if Trump wouldn't
have directed the FAA to ground the MAX, it would still be flying!
THAT is why I'm so pissed! I'm pissed because MONGOLIA (of all places) seems to have more common sense than Boeing, the FAA and the airlines! That
should be pretty insulting to just about everyone on planet Earth!!!
And lastly, there's a personal element to this. I can remember a time when the 737 was my absolute most favorite aircraft, a time when there was only
about one US airline flying them in any numbers (the old Frontier) (UA flew a few too). I watched the 737 grow from the humble old 737-200 first
delivered way back in 1968 to what it is today. I always felt a relief when I showed up at the gate and saw the equipment was a 737. You knew you
were going to get there. ...until the now. And now, that feeling of relief at seeing the humble old 737 sitting there waiting to take me to my
destination has been forever shattered. Who knows what cooked-up story is being pandered to conceal some major issue. The trust is gone.
That's why.