It’s not often that passengers hear from the captain days before their flight but American Airlines is employing those calm, soothing voices to ease the reintroduction of the Boeing 737 MAX. As we recently reported, American plans to resume MAX flights starting Dec. 29, assuming all the regulatory approvals are in place. Its plan to gain customer approval for the re-launch is to offer customer tours of the aircraft and to have pilots answer phone and video calls from jittery pax. “They’re the ones that ... really have the credibility to explain the Max,” Alison Taylor, American’s chief customer officer, told an online “town hall” meeting with employees in mid-October. CNBC had a look at the discussions held in that meeting.
“Parked there for months.” Who would wish this end to life on any airplane, let alone what was once a state of the art airplane? Unfortunately derelicts are increasingly becoming part of ramp scenery, ie one Lear 23, two Lear 24s and one Lear 25 at my home airport in full view from my open hangar door. They’ll never fly again but I’d never want to see them come to this end. Their owners have quit paying for ramp space, they are too cheap to pay salvage costs, and local authorities seem powerless to remove them. However if I am ever caught self refueling my own vintage airplane even with approved containers and methods on airport premises they promise me I’ll be evicted.
The French have a saying: qui s’excuse s’accuse. Telling people that “everything is OK” is a sure way
to raise doubts, increase anxiety and promote skepticism. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t tell them
anything. What it does mean is that the 737-MAX should not be pressed into service until it is safe to
fly, without lies, evasions, or public relations façades. If the aircraft is reliable, it will speak for itself.
If not, don’t say another word until it is fixed, or you’ll never talk your way out of the fix you created.
As others have rightly said, most passengers don’t know the difference between an A-320 and a 737. Those that do, probably know enough to make an informed decision about flying the MAX. The more hoopla you make about it, the more people will get all worried and want to change. Just board the passengers and take off. If someone decides they don’t want to fly it, book them on a different flight. In two weeks it will be old news.
