Whenever the grounded 737 MAX aircraft type gets airborne again, Boeing will need to convince the flying public that it’s safe – and now a union representing many thousands of American Airlines flight attendants says it has “deep concerns” about the plane and its members are not ready to fly on it anytime soon.
The national president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), Lori Bassani, has written to Boeing’s chairman, president and chief executive to make the union’s position clear.
“The 28,000 flight attendants working for American Airlines refuse to walk onto a plane that may not be safe and are calling for the highest possible safety standards to avoid another tragedy,” Bassani told Boeing’s Dennis Muilenburg.
American Airlines is North America’s largest airline and has 24 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in its fleet. All are currently sitting on the tarmac idle, at enormous expense.
APFA’s letter comes after US Congress questioned Muilenburg for two days. Reports say members of Congress accused Boeing of hiding problems with the software that is believed to be involved in the crashes of two 737 MAX planes – one belonging to Lion Air and the other to Ethiopian Airlines.
“I know after two days of very tough hearings you understand the deep concerns that remain regarding the relaunch of the 737 MAX,” APFA’s Bassani told Muilenburg.
“The stakes could not be higher. Our lives are not for sale.”
Bassani said APFA members were “just some of the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by the dangerous issues regarding the 737 MAX and your honesty about the safety and future viability of the plane is of the utmost importance to us.
“Your testimony today and yesterday serves to emphasize the important and complex relationship between the regulated and the regulator. New information that has recently come to light regarding the MCAS system of the 737 MAX highlights the importance of communication and transparency when it comes to safety of all aircraft.
“After these two days of hearings it is clear there were serious breakdowns in the supervision of the 737 MAX and we have fundamental questions about whether the FAA has the resources necessary for oversight moving forward.”
APFA’s full letter to Muilenburg has been posted on the APFA website and may be downloaded here.
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