Boeing's Safety Concerns: Passenger Trust Dwindles

Well, many travelers are avoiding Boeing planes it turns out, especially the 737 Max, following a series of safety incidents with some using digital tools to avoid booking flights on these very planes. The ships in sentiment comes after a series of safety issues including door blowouts and mid air engine fires. Despite efforts by Boeing to address safety concerns, many passengers remain wary. Flight search engines now offer options to exclude Boeing planes from searches. That's a big deal, and some passengers are choosing airlines that primarily use Airbus models. Boeing's efforts to regain customer trust and address address safety issues remain ongoing. You heard us mention Boeing as we cover a lot in Airbus as well. It is a duopoly around the world. These are the two biggest air manufacturers out there and they do hold the bulk of the market. So Boeing stock in the past 24 hours down about 2/10 of a percent year to date, underperforming since that door blowout in early January. And Dave, even before the pandemic when we saw those two deadly 737 Max crashes, when you booked, you can always see the actual aircraft that you would take on that flight. I did start to look in the wake of that. But now the fact that actual sites allow you to exclude Boeing planes is pretty significant. You looked, but did you book on that? Would you not book A787 Max or a Boeing plane at something? If I could take an Airbus, I preferred to take an Airbus. Interesting. I, I have never even thought about it. I was stunned to see this headline. If there were 2% of travelers even thinking about the type of plane, that is a terrifying story for Boeing shareholders and Boeing management. I think any number thrown out there is a little bit high, but it certainly is an alarming Trump. Dave Calhoun, by the way, the CEO, outgoing CEO of Boeing, he will testify before Congress tomorrow about the 2018-2019 incidents. And so Congress is very eager to hear from. And there's yet another one from Southwest that went under reported where and the Southwest airplane went into what's called a Dutch roll. It was a 787 Max from Boeing. They can't help but wonder if some point if they move on from that airplane. That would be an enormous undertaking. But boy, the bad press just doesn't stop. It has been a tough five years for Boeing.