Not really. The A3 Neo line has never had anything close to the issues the MAX has. UA and AS both bet the farm on an aircraft that was years behind and plagued with issues. Indeed, AA is buying an aircraft that still isn’t certified, and likely won’t be anytime soon. I suspect Boeing offered a huge discount on these. Why else would you buy a less capable aircraft that still can’t fly when you have the world’s largest A321 CEO/NEO fleet in the world?

(Written on 2024年 03月 05日)(Permalink)

I think the USAF is still irked with all the KC46 issues, particularly FOD being found in various parts of newly delivered aircraft. It's another example of the emblematic QC issues facing Boeing lately.

(Written on 2024年 02月 05日)(Permalink)

While I 100% agree with your analysis vis a vis whose fault this is, I think the only reason you have negative votes is the tone used in the first sentence. You have an extremely valid point, but most probably stopped reading with the "moron" comment.

(Written on 2024年 01月 23日)(Permalink)

They already have the A321XLR on order and plenty of pilots trained on the A319/A320. As they all require just a single cert rating, I wouldn't be surprised if they upped their A321 order at the expense of the MAX -10. They also have to consider that the certification for the -10 may be pushed back further now because of the increased scrutiny caused by the -9 incident. How long can a company wait for airframes that it desperately needs with no end in sight.

(Written on 2024年 01月 23日)(Permalink)

Come on folks. There are so many platforms to air you political/personal non-aviation related views. FlightAware is not one of those. 99.9% of us visit the site to discuss aviation. Sure, we may argue about Airbus v. Boeing, P&W v RR v GE, but it's all aviation related. There are precious few venues online today to escape the political BS. Can we keep it that way?!?!

(Written on 2024年 01月 22日)(Permalink)

If you haven't already, I would recommend reading "Flying Blind" by Peter Robison. It does an excellent job detailing the transition from "old" Boeing to "New", especially when it comes to the C-Suite decisions.

(Written on 2024年 01月 11日)(Permalink)

I'm curious to know what it will do to the -10 certification as it shares a lot more in common with the -9 than the -7.

(Written on 2024年 01月 11日)(Permalink)

Per the misery map, Alaskan had to cancel 158 flights today, or 22% of their schedule! If they'd have held onto those A321neo's they could probably have reduced that number significantly. While a single-type fleet makes financial sense, in situations where a fleet is grounded it can become very expensive. American found that out a few years back when they had to ground their entire MD80 fleet for inspections. It was very expensive for them.

(Written on 2024年 01月 11日)(Permalink)

Very good point. I also enjoyed the old Tristar L-1011s. The DC10 did manage to recover somewhat though in the form of Cargo aircraft, unlike the L-1011 sadly. I will never understand that.

(Written on 2024年 01月 06日)(Permalink)

Good Point. I bet those NEOs they just sold to AA would have helped them out of the bind with all the -9 MAXs grounded.

(Written on 2024年 01月 06日)(Permalink)