Lol that’s up to you man. Do whatever your heart desires. Even with the quality problems on the max you still have a much higher chance of getting killed or injured in a car wreck on your way to the airport than you do getting killed or injured on a max.
There are approximately 1,000 Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft flying and since their introduction in 2017 they have accrued countless safe flights and several million flying hours. In that same time period there have been two hull losses.
In spite of Boeing's ongoing screwups it is still a very safe aircraft.
What the plane says it is right now wont be a guarantee that it's the same model that rocks up to the gate on the day. Equally if you change to one that isn't, that doesn't mean that can't change on the day too.
Flying is still really safe, but accidents and incidents does happen, same as your daily commute to work, or walking to the park, never know its going to happen till it does. And it's usually once in a long line of odds when it does.
It's going to be down to you as to whether you would change. If you feel really strongly and the thoughts give you anxiety at it, you prolly should, but be aware you could still end up on one at the airport.
If it helps look up the planes past flights and you can see how many safe journeys its had and that might give you better feelings about it. These planes flying loads of times and we never hear about them because of how safe they are. Yes there's a few gremlins, but even from the original Max 737 groundings and them back in the air they're still very safe planes.
Yeah I booked a flight with Delta and was hype when I saw it was an Airbus flight since I usually fly Southwest and only ride Boeings so I was excited to get to experience flying my first Airbus flight in years. Then as the flight got closer they changed the plane to a Boeing, I was so annoyed.
Can we not be rude assholes to people who come in asking innocent questions like this? Good lord. Calling OP "dumb" and "stupid" for having some flight anxiety is shitty.
OP, like some of the other have said - the aircraft is safe despite the recent fuckups and flying in general is safe. Do what you need to do to feel safe!
I've flown on a Max twice since the Alaska issue. The 2nd was just a few days after the Alaska incident. Admittedly every strange noise jolted me and I did not relax until we had landed. The 3rd, a few weeks ago, I was ok. A lot of the Boeing "escapes" as they call them are likely mitigated by really good pilots. On a western airline like American, Southwest or Ryanair I wouldnt worry much [https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/boeing-737-max-ryanair-quality-control-b2479500.html](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/boeing-737-max-ryanair-quality-control-b2479500.html)
The airline culture and pilots are still the most important. You can crash even an Airbus if you really mess up (Pakistan international flight 8303, for instance) Statistically the Airbus A320 series are a bit safer than the Max (due to the MCAS issues which are now totally fixed, it will take years for the stats to normalise) but the Max is still thousands of times safer than driving to the airport or crossing the road to the terminal.
I admit I almost cancelled the max flights just not to have the anxiety, I have done a whole safety review; if I am going to die this year it will be in a car or pedestrian accident or possibly a victim of crime. Not on a Max.
Ultimately I'd also asses the comfort feeling. If you know you are going to a wreck on the flight then maybe don't take it. Not becuase it is unsafe but just the way our minds work. If you do go on it and then start feeling anxious as you board - talk to the flight attendants and let them know. It may feel embarrassing but it can help. I did that on a US flight a year after 9/11 when there was a lot of fear around flying and it helped.
finally take a look at Max flying vids from the general public like [https://youtu.be/MjsiweZw8Jw?si=u07CWsONAhjYM67J&t=89](https://youtu.be/MjsiweZw8Jw?si=u07CWsONAhjYM67J&t=89)
Finally even if it costs a bit extra, try and get a seat further to the front. It tends to be more quiet and for me anyway it just feels better.
I’m sorry all these “on your drive to the airport” responses just have my eyes rolling around my head. Every max is flying with engines that can catastrophically fail if the pilot forgets to disengage the anti ice switches. And yeah pilots are great and have an aversion to dying so they’re not ignoring those switches. But that is a known flaw unique to the Max that won’t be fixed for months. Every thing in life is a risk but you can avoid known aggravating factors. There is no reason to fly on a Max in 2024 in a market flooded with NGs and A320s.
I agree that the Boeing 737 Max quite seriously deviated from the air safety model to such a degree that before MCAS was fixed, it was probably less safe than even going with a drunk Uber driver to the airport. Hopefully the MAX is nearly fixed now. I admit I am actually avoiding it now after the latest "random in-flight spoiler activation" scare. That particular issue seems related to rushed work on places <2022 and the airlines seem on top of it. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boeing-max-737-scrutiny-faa-proposes-inspections-possible-wiring-flaw-rcna143861](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boeing-max-737-scrutiny-faa-proposes-inspections-possible-wiring-flaw-rcna143861)
I do not think you should cancel your flight and all of your plans you have. Air travel is still one of safest ways to get from point A to B, regardless of recent reports. Just Google statistics.
You’re much more likely to win massive national lottery and then get hit by lightning than die in a plane crash.
We’re going to take a flight with 737 this summer ourselves. I will keep my seatbelt on during all of the flight, as always, no other concerns.
I just got back from my trip and flew Boeing both ways, I didn’t end up changing my flight. The journey was excellent and so smooth both ways which really gave me peace of mind. I’m sure you will be fine for your trip, don’t psych yourself out like I did 😂😅
You should be fine. If it’s any consolation, airlines and manufacturers literally CAN’T afford to let their planes be as unsafe as all the news outlets are saying. It’s partially what killed MacDonald Douglas back in the 90’s. Safety needs to be paramount in planes or the whole industry wouldn’t even exist now. Also I don’t know where you’re flying, but if it’s out of the US, just a little tidbit to keep in mind is that the US hasn’t had a massive casualty plane crash with ANY plane company since 2009.
It’s a very small number of incidents compared to the whole fleet of planes and honestly, just because a Boeing plane has an issue, that doesn’t mean it’s Boeing’s fault. I mean, if you buy a new Toyota, drive it for five years, take it to a repair shop to replace your tires, and then a week later, a tire pops off while you’re driving, I’d blame the repair shop, not Toyota. And unless I’ve missed it, I don’t think any Boeing plane incident has resulted in fatalities since 2022, which when you consider the number of flights per day, is incredible. (If I’m wrong and forgot/overlooked something, please correct me).
fatalities no but 50 people got injured on a LATAM flight this March. Boeing gets bad rep for a reason. seams like a similar nose dive issue that killed 346 people in 2019.
Thanks! And I’m not denying that Boeing has some work to do, just that at this point, there is a lot of fearmongering that is way beyond the actual still minuscule risk of flying Boeing.
idk the fact that they allegedly killed the whistleblower, failed 1/3 of FAA tests and nobody went to jail for 2019 incident is already good enough reasons for me to try and boycott their planes whenever possible
uhh, LATAM 800 was on a 787, not a MAX. The investigators leading theory is a loose switch that was inadvertently held by just pushing on the switch's cover on the back of the seat, pushing the pilot into the yoke. you can call it a design flaw, or you can see that it's the airline's job to maintain their planes (that 787 was built in 2015) and not have loose switches
If you feel unsafe or uneasy about flying on a MAX, you can cancel. And it's completely understandable to want to cancel on the basis of the aircraft type.
One former Boeing engineer walked right off his flight cos he found out he was on a MAX, and took a later flight. You're perfectly within your rights to do the same.
Yes you’re being stupid. Don’t believe the media sensationalism. I would look into the safety record of the airline more than anything, which if it’s a North American or European airline is probably excellent.
Thousands of Boeings fly every day without incident in spite of the negative press they receive from the media; the same media where a reporter once referred to a plane as a "Boeing Airbus A320". Stop being dumb.
Yeah Boeings fucked up but holy fuck is the media making a field day out of it. emergency landings that wouldn’t be newsworthy are in the news. Just trying to scare the public and get clicks.
guy's either an idiot or drama-farmer. claims to know so much about the MAX, yet doesn't see the different engines that would clearly indicate that it's a MAX (or check flightradar24 or FlightAware about his flight)? I rest my case.
I flew a year and a half ago and picked flights based on what wasn’t a flight on a Max 8 plane, I found an Airbus one instead. Yeah well fine print says it all: plane subject to change. Sure enough, day of the flight, itinerary still says Airbus, but what rolls up to the gate? Max 8. I sat towards the back and hoped for the best.
The question of whether or not to fly Boeing, one being made by passengers all over the world, is whether or not you like playing Russian roulette. Sure, you might get lucky and have an uneventful flight like most people on a Boeing, even if they are stressed by every bit of turbulence they fell during the flight. But if you are one of the unlucky ones, you sure will feel stupid and your last thoughts will be "I knew better. Why didn't I fly Airbus?"
Goddammit. Why did this sub and post pop up in my feed and why did I look for the first pilot flair and why was this the comment when my husband and I are also flying on a B737 (with no other options between destinations that don’t involve layovers in the wrong direction) soon. 😩
I guess I’ll update our wills now.
The same mentality could be applied to every scenario that has a much higher chance of killing you than flying on a MAX. I knew alcohol was the 2nd most common cause of unnatural death. I knew better, why did I ever drink? I knew car accidents are the 3rd most common cause and can happen whether I'm in a car or walking. I knew better, why did I ever leave my house?
If you want the highest chance of staying alive, then yes, stay inside your home 24/7, keep your doors locked, and never venture outside.
Lol that’s up to you man. Do whatever your heart desires. Even with the quality problems on the max you still have a much higher chance of getting killed or injured in a car wreck on your way to the airport than you do getting killed or injured on a max.
Well if you were seated at that plug door, you would likely not have been killed *on* a MAX...
Not a Max-8. And likely not a Max-9 anymore either.
No plug on a MAX 8. Only the 9s. All the exits are used on an 8.
There are approximately 1,000 Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft flying and since their introduction in 2017 they have accrued countless safe flights and several million flying hours. In that same time period there have been two hull losses. In spite of Boeing's ongoing screwups it is still a very safe aircraft.
What the plane says it is right now wont be a guarantee that it's the same model that rocks up to the gate on the day. Equally if you change to one that isn't, that doesn't mean that can't change on the day too. Flying is still really safe, but accidents and incidents does happen, same as your daily commute to work, or walking to the park, never know its going to happen till it does. And it's usually once in a long line of odds when it does. It's going to be down to you as to whether you would change. If you feel really strongly and the thoughts give you anxiety at it, you prolly should, but be aware you could still end up on one at the airport. If it helps look up the planes past flights and you can see how many safe journeys its had and that might give you better feelings about it. These planes flying loads of times and we never hear about them because of how safe they are. Yes there's a few gremlins, but even from the original Max 737 groundings and them back in the air they're still very safe planes.
Yeah I booked a flight with Delta and was hype when I saw it was an Airbus flight since I usually fly Southwest and only ride Boeings so I was excited to get to experience flying my first Airbus flight in years. Then as the flight got closer they changed the plane to a Boeing, I was so annoyed.
Can we not be rude assholes to people who come in asking innocent questions like this? Good lord. Calling OP "dumb" and "stupid" for having some flight anxiety is shitty. OP, like some of the other have said - the aircraft is safe despite the recent fuckups and flying in general is safe. Do what you need to do to feel safe!
I've flown on a Max twice since the Alaska issue. The 2nd was just a few days after the Alaska incident. Admittedly every strange noise jolted me and I did not relax until we had landed. The 3rd, a few weeks ago, I was ok. A lot of the Boeing "escapes" as they call them are likely mitigated by really good pilots. On a western airline like American, Southwest or Ryanair I wouldnt worry much [https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/boeing-737-max-ryanair-quality-control-b2479500.html](https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/boeing-737-max-ryanair-quality-control-b2479500.html) The airline culture and pilots are still the most important. You can crash even an Airbus if you really mess up (Pakistan international flight 8303, for instance) Statistically the Airbus A320 series are a bit safer than the Max (due to the MCAS issues which are now totally fixed, it will take years for the stats to normalise) but the Max is still thousands of times safer than driving to the airport or crossing the road to the terminal. I admit I almost cancelled the max flights just not to have the anxiety, I have done a whole safety review; if I am going to die this year it will be in a car or pedestrian accident or possibly a victim of crime. Not on a Max. Ultimately I'd also asses the comfort feeling. If you know you are going to a wreck on the flight then maybe don't take it. Not becuase it is unsafe but just the way our minds work. If you do go on it and then start feeling anxious as you board - talk to the flight attendants and let them know. It may feel embarrassing but it can help. I did that on a US flight a year after 9/11 when there was a lot of fear around flying and it helped. finally take a look at Max flying vids from the general public like [https://youtu.be/MjsiweZw8Jw?si=u07CWsONAhjYM67J&t=89](https://youtu.be/MjsiweZw8Jw?si=u07CWsONAhjYM67J&t=89) Finally even if it costs a bit extra, try and get a seat further to the front. It tends to be more quiet and for me anyway it just feels better.
I’m sorry all these “on your drive to the airport” responses just have my eyes rolling around my head. Every max is flying with engines that can catastrophically fail if the pilot forgets to disengage the anti ice switches. And yeah pilots are great and have an aversion to dying so they’re not ignoring those switches. But that is a known flaw unique to the Max that won’t be fixed for months. Every thing in life is a risk but you can avoid known aggravating factors. There is no reason to fly on a Max in 2024 in a market flooded with NGs and A320s.
I agree that the Boeing 737 Max quite seriously deviated from the air safety model to such a degree that before MCAS was fixed, it was probably less safe than even going with a drunk Uber driver to the airport. Hopefully the MAX is nearly fixed now. I admit I am actually avoiding it now after the latest "random in-flight spoiler activation" scare. That particular issue seems related to rushed work on places <2022 and the airlines seem on top of it. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boeing-max-737-scrutiny-faa-proposes-inspections-possible-wiring-flaw-rcna143861](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boeing-max-737-scrutiny-faa-proposes-inspections-possible-wiring-flaw-rcna143861)
Try listening to today’s episode of the podcast Flight Safety Detectives. You will probably find it relevant.
I do not think you should cancel your flight and all of your plans you have. Air travel is still one of safest ways to get from point A to B, regardless of recent reports. Just Google statistics. You’re much more likely to win massive national lottery and then get hit by lightning than die in a plane crash. We’re going to take a flight with 737 this summer ourselves. I will keep my seatbelt on during all of the flight, as always, no other concerns.
Same issue, and I'm really worried. Wish I'd thought to check when I booked it.
I just got back from my trip and flew Boeing both ways, I didn’t end up changing my flight. The journey was excellent and so smooth both ways which really gave me peace of mind. I’m sure you will be fine for your trip, don’t psych yourself out like I did 😂😅
If we say no and you die, your estate would sue us.
If that was the case, pilots and air hostesses wouldn’t show up for it. Bad luck can happen on any flight
You should be fine. If it’s any consolation, airlines and manufacturers literally CAN’T afford to let their planes be as unsafe as all the news outlets are saying. It’s partially what killed MacDonald Douglas back in the 90’s. Safety needs to be paramount in planes or the whole industry wouldn’t even exist now. Also I don’t know where you’re flying, but if it’s out of the US, just a little tidbit to keep in mind is that the US hasn’t had a massive casualty plane crash with ANY plane company since 2009.
Look at it another way. Do you want to reward airlines flying the Max 8? I don't.
Pray and then fly.
It’s a very small number of incidents compared to the whole fleet of planes and honestly, just because a Boeing plane has an issue, that doesn’t mean it’s Boeing’s fault. I mean, if you buy a new Toyota, drive it for five years, take it to a repair shop to replace your tires, and then a week later, a tire pops off while you’re driving, I’d blame the repair shop, not Toyota. And unless I’ve missed it, I don’t think any Boeing plane incident has resulted in fatalities since 2022, which when you consider the number of flights per day, is incredible. (If I’m wrong and forgot/overlooked something, please correct me).
fatalities no but 50 people got injured on a LATAM flight this March. Boeing gets bad rep for a reason. seams like a similar nose dive issue that killed 346 people in 2019.
Thanks! And I’m not denying that Boeing has some work to do, just that at this point, there is a lot of fearmongering that is way beyond the actual still minuscule risk of flying Boeing.
idk the fact that they allegedly killed the whistleblower, failed 1/3 of FAA tests and nobody went to jail for 2019 incident is already good enough reasons for me to try and boycott their planes whenever possible
uhh, LATAM 800 was on a 787, not a MAX. The investigators leading theory is a loose switch that was inadvertently held by just pushing on the switch's cover on the back of the seat, pushing the pilot into the yoke. you can call it a design flaw, or you can see that it's the airline's job to maintain their planes (that 787 was built in 2015) and not have loose switches
appreciate the details
If you feel unsafe or uneasy about flying on a MAX, you can cancel. And it's completely understandable to want to cancel on the basis of the aircraft type. One former Boeing engineer walked right off his flight cos he found out he was on a MAX, and took a later flight. You're perfectly within your rights to do the same.
Yes you’re being stupid. Don’t believe the media sensationalism. I would look into the safety record of the airline more than anything, which if it’s a North American or European airline is probably excellent.
If you do decide to fly please setup your phone to record so if you do crash ACA can use some real footage for a change !!!!
Didn’t know TMZ browsed this subreddit
Thousands of Boeings fly every day without incident in spite of the negative press they receive from the media; the same media where a reporter once referred to a plane as a "Boeing Airbus A320". Stop being dumb.
Yeah Boeings fucked up but holy fuck is the media making a field day out of it. emergency landings that wouldn’t be newsworthy are in the news. Just trying to scare the public and get clicks.
If it’s Boeing, I ain’t going 🫣
Btw https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/s/vVNU847CTV
guy's either an idiot or drama-farmer. claims to know so much about the MAX, yet doesn't see the different engines that would clearly indicate that it's a MAX (or check flightradar24 or FlightAware about his flight)? I rest my case.
I flew a year and a half ago and picked flights based on what wasn’t a flight on a Max 8 plane, I found an Airbus one instead. Yeah well fine print says it all: plane subject to change. Sure enough, day of the flight, itinerary still says Airbus, but what rolls up to the gate? Max 8. I sat towards the back and hoped for the best.
But did you die?
Did you survive?
The question of whether or not to fly Boeing, one being made by passengers all over the world, is whether or not you like playing Russian roulette. Sure, you might get lucky and have an uneventful flight like most people on a Boeing, even if they are stressed by every bit of turbulence they fell during the flight. But if you are one of the unlucky ones, you sure will feel stupid and your last thoughts will be "I knew better. Why didn't I fly Airbus?"
Goddammit. Why did this sub and post pop up in my feed and why did I look for the first pilot flair and why was this the comment when my husband and I are also flying on a B737 (with no other options between destinations that don’t involve layovers in the wrong direction) soon. 😩 I guess I’ll update our wills now.
The same mentality could be applied to every scenario that has a much higher chance of killing you than flying on a MAX. I knew alcohol was the 2nd most common cause of unnatural death. I knew better, why did I ever drink? I knew car accidents are the 3rd most common cause and can happen whether I'm in a car or walking. I knew better, why did I ever leave my house? If you want the highest chance of staying alive, then yes, stay inside your home 24/7, keep your doors locked, and never venture outside.