"What's Up In Business Travel" Week 10: Mar 17, 2025

Updated: Mar 7, 2024

Country after country and airline after airline has approved and returned the Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts to the skies. But at what cost?  It is clear that the aircraft still has issues regardless of what Boeing, FAA or the airlines tell you.  And now it seems that the issues are not only with the 737 MAX, but also the 737-800 NG.

What is the 737-800 NG?

The 737-800 NG is the workhorse of the Boeing family of aircrafts.  It was redesigned from the 737 Classic to have a larger wing and a wider wingspan and for greater fuel capacity - the latter being the key.  Boeing stopped assembling this aircraft in 2019 and introduced the 737 MAX which had even greater fuel capacity.  Of course, the airlines loved that and quickly started purchasing the aircraft in bulk. [More Info on 737 NG]

Why was the 737 MAX Grounded?

With the 2 crashes in 2018 and 2019 of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that killed 346 people, countries around the world grounded the 737 MAX.  But in 2021 with so many aircrafts already purchased, sitting on the ground the airlines started flying the 737 MAX once again.  They never resolved the cause of the problem which was the MCAS system.  All they did was to teach pilots how to handle the problem when the plane behaved erratically.

To avoid punitive damages, on Nov 10, 2021, Boeing accepted liability and agreed to a settlement with the families of the 157 people who died in the Ethiopia 737 MAX crash.

Around the same time, aviation authorities in many of the countries where the 737 MAX was purchased started to place the aircraft back into flight.  To date, most airlines that purchased the 737 MAX have started to fly this specific aircraft designed to maximize fuel efficiency but not safety.

A Boeing 737-800 Crashes

On March 21, 2022, there was the crash of China Eastern Flight 5375 in which 132 people lost their lives.  This aircraft was not a 737 MAX but its predecessor, the 737-800 NG which was the blueprint for the 737 MAX.  While this crash is still being investigated, the latest news has it that the plane had a midair breakup.  According to Bloomberg News, there was a part of the plane found 6 miles from the main wreckage.  Boeing has had a history of issues with its manufacturing processes.

More issues reported on both the 737-800 and 737 MAX:

• Mar 7, 2024 - United Airlines 1539 (737 MAX) from NAS to EWR reported had an issue where the pilots reported 'stuck' rudder pedals upon landing.  The NTSB is investigating. [Read On]
• Feb 21, 2024 - Boeing ousts the head of its 737 jetliner program in an executive shake-up.  Ed Clark led the 737 program and oversaw the factory where the assembly took place on the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 whose door blew open mid-flight. [Read On]
• Jan 29, 2024 - Boeing has withdrawn a request for the Federal Aviation Administration to grant a safety waiver for the 737 MAX 7 after the manufacturer reported an issue with the Max's anti-ice system last year. [Read On]
• Jan 24, 2024 - Boeing not Spirit AeroSystems, mis-installed piece that blew off Alaska 737 MAX 9.  If verified by the National Transportation Safety Board investigation, this would leave Boeing primarily at fault for the accident. [Read On] 
• Jan 6, 2024 - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) orders airlines to ground all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for inspections.  The emergency airworthiness directive will affect about 171 planes worldwide and applies to U.S. airlines and carriers operating in U.S. territory. [Read On]
• Jan 5, 2024 - Alaska Airlines temporarily grounds its fleet of Boeing 737-9 Max aircraft after Flight 1282 on Jan 5, 2024, makes an emergency landing when a large section of the plane blows out in flight leaving a gaping hole. Other airlines start to review their own 737MAX fleets. [Read On]
• Jan 5, 2024 - Boeing asks the FAA to except the new model of the 737MAX 7 series aircraft from a safety standard designed to prevent part of the engine housing from overheating and breaking off during flight so that it can start delivering the new aircraft to airlines for deployment. [Read On]
• Dec 28, 2023 - Boeing has asked airlines to inspect all of their 737 Max jets for a potential loose bolt in the rudder system after an airline discovered a potential problem with a key part on two aircraft. [Read On]
• Nov 28, 2023 - The FAA has adopted a new aircraft certification policy requiring key flight control design changes to be considered "major" like the system involved in two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes.  This is critical to ensure that in the future changes are not made to critical components without review by the FAA. [Read On]
• Sep 21, 2023 - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety data confirms new Boeing 737 MAX airplanes (models 737-8 and 737-9) are experiencing a wide array of aircraft systems malfunctions. [Read On]
• Sep 19, 2023 - A brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 had a part of its tail fall off while flying from Seattle to Chicago on Monday September 18, 2023. The aircraft was in service for only 4 days. [Read On] 
• July 26, 2023 - Boeing attempts to increase production of 737 MAX planes from the current 31 per month to 60 per month - that is TWICE as many.  Of course, safety protocols will be ignored in an attempt to increase stock value. [Read On]
• May 31, 2023 - A U.S. judge rules that relatives of those killed in the Boeing 737 MAX Ethiopian Airlines crash may seek compensation for pain and suffering of passengers before the plane hit the ground. [Read On]
• Jan 26, 2023 - Boeing enters a plea of not guilty to a criminal charge in federal court.  Boeing and the Justice Department had entered into an agreement though crash victims objected calling it a "secret, sweetheart deal" [Read On].
• Oct 21, 2022 - U.S. District Court Judge Reed O'Connor agreed that under the Crime Victims' Rights Act, the relatives' rights had been violated and they should have been consulted before the DOJ and Boeing reached the agreement [Read On]. 
• Sep 22, 2022 - Boeing will pay $200 million to settle SEC fraud charges that it withheld information about safety issues in its 737 Max aircraft [Read On].
• Jul 30, 2022 - FAA rejects Boeings request to perform certain regulatory tasks on its own for the standard five-year period, keeping the company under closer government oversight [Read On].
• Jun 15, 2022 - Boeing declines to set clear timetable on getting an approval for the 737 MAX 10 as regulations changed after the fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 [Read On].
• May 16, 2022 - China Southern Airlines (Boeing Co.’s biggest airline customer in China), has removed more than 100 of the US manufacturer’s 737 Max jets [Report].
• Apr 13, 2022 - India grounds all 737 MAX pilots after glitches were found on a 737 MAX simulator [Report].
• Apr 5, 2022 - Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight suddenly "dives" 7,000 feet [Report].
• Mar 24, 2022 - China grounds 223 Boeing 737-800 aircrafts after crash [Report].
• Mar 21, 2022 - China Eastern Airlines flight 5375, which is a Boeing 737-800 crashes with 132 people onboard.  There are no survivors [Report].
•  Feb 23, 2022: FAA issues 5G warning for Boeing 737s saying wireless operations can interfere with radio altimeters, impeding a crew's ability to safely fly or land [Read On]. 
• Aug 5, 2021 - Boeing 737 MAX and other 737 models have potential issue with reduced fire supression capabilities [Report].
• May 14, 2021 - Boeing 737 Classic planes to require inspections due to wire failure after the crash of Sriwijaya Flight 182 that killed 62 people [Report].

It is important the flying public become knowledgeful and understand the nuances associated with the 737 line of aircraft that Boeing has manufactured.  It is obvious that the government entities such as the FAA, EASA and Transport Canada, whose job it is to ensure public safety, are too cozy with the aircraft manufacturer.  And the airlines are too drunk of the idea on fuel efficiency over public safety.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - AASH

With over 25 years of experience in business travel, Aash has provided expertise to hundreds of companies and thousands of travelers.  With over 3 Million miles logged in air travel, he looks at business travel at a 35,000 feet level and provides his perspective and insights to improve the business travel industry.

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