Boeing’s problems since United Airline blew its doors have been ongoing: Travelers now face route cancellations and fare hikes this summer.
Since a door jam exploded from a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, Boeing has lurched from crisis to crisis — and its stock has fallen by a quarter.
While they investigate what went wrong, federal investigators have capped production of the 737 Max, meaning U.S. airlines won’t get all of the expected planes until the summer.
A shortage of planes means airlines won’t be able to offer as many flights, an expert says. This also means that prices will increase as demand for the remaining flights increases.
So far this year, Boeing has delivered just 42 planes to customers, despite a backlog of more than 4,700 orders.
The Federal Aviation Administration has capped 737 Max production over safety concerns
Southwest previously expected 79 737 Max planes this year, but that forecast was reduced to 46
U.S. airlines typically deploy the Boeing 737 Max for domestic flights, as well as some international routes to destinations in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
So far this year, Boeing has delivered just 42 planes to customers, despite a backlog of more than 4,700 orders.
“Consumers may not have as many flights and airlines may not be able to offer as many flights,” Henry Harteveldt, airline analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, told CBS MoneyWatch.
“Airlines are suggesting that summer demand looks good, and that suggests to me that airfares would be higher anyway,” Harteveldt added.
“But obviously, when an airline doesn’t have all the planes it hopes to have and therefore can’t operate all flights with full capacity, it’s possible that airfares will be higher than they are. ‘would have been otherwise.”
Southwest Airlines – one of the biggest buyers of the 737 Max – last week said in a file that Boeing previously said it would deliver 79 planes this year, but reduced that forecast to just 46.
Earlier this month, United told staff in an internal memo seen by CNBC that they would suspend hiring new pilots until May and June “due to continued certification of new aircraft and manufacturing delays at Boeing.”
“As you know, United has hundreds of new aircraft on order and while we remain on track to become the fastest growing airline in the industry, our growth simply will not be as fast as we are pensions in 2024 due to continued delays at Boeing,” the executives wrote.
A Boeing 787 flying from Sydney to Auckland took a terrifying plunge last week after a flight attendant serving a meal in the cockpit inadvertently pressed a switch on the pilot’s seat.
United was expecting 43 Boeing 737 Max 8 and 34 Max 9 models this year, but is now expecting only 37 and 19 respectively, according to a report. company filing.
It also asked Boeing to stop manufacturing the 737 Max 10 planes it had previously ordered.
Meanwhile, Ryanair was expecting 57 planes by June, but is now expecting just 40. CEO Michael O’Leary recently said he was “very disappointed with these latest delivery delays from Boeing” ahead of the peak summer trips.
As a result, the airline said it would be forced to make “minor schedule changes” that would reduce frequencies on existing routes.
Boeing’s problems deepened last week after a 787 Dreamliner flying to New Zealand plunged after a problem with the pilot’s seat caused it to slump onto the controls.
Another Boeing-built United Airlines plane was grounded on Friday after it was found to be missing a panel after landing following a flight.
The plane is a Boeing 737-824 and successfully landed at Medford Airport in Oregon despite the missing part.
No injuries were reported, Jackson County Airport Director Amber Judd said, adding that the flight originated from San Francisco.
She reiterated that it was not a new plane, contrary to the numerous incidents observed in recent months.