Nearly half of fliers plan to avoid Boeing Max jets for at least a year
While airlines eagerly await the return to service of the grounded Boeing 737 Max jetliner, their customers are not so enthused.
A survey from Barclays Investment Bank says nearly one-half of fliers are still uneasy about traveling on a 737 Max, even when it gets the all-clear from aviation regulators worldwide.
The survey found 44% of fliers in North America and Europe would wait at least a year before taking a flight on the 737 Max.
"A large portion of fliers are likely to avoid the 737 Max for an extended period of time when the grounding is lifted," it says in a report as it lowered the company’s rating.
Barclays polled 1,765 fliers ranging in ages, income and frequency of air travel.
It found 52% would select a different aircraft type if available.
Nearly one in five said they would travel on the Max straight away but an even larger number (21%) said they will likely never feel comfortable flying on the aircraft
Boeing’s 737 Max was grounded in March after two deadly crashes in Africa and Asia within five months killed more than 300 people.
Issues with the jet’s MCAS anti-stalling software was a likely factor in both crashes and Boeing expects to complete a software patch ready for regulatory approval within a few weeks.
The Max is Boeing’s best-selling aircraft model with more than 4,000 orders, although just 67 were operating in the US at the time of the global grounding.
Still, Southwest Airlines, American and United have been forced to cancel thousands of flights with the reduced seat capacity expected to lead to higher fares this peak summer period.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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