JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Two fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max 8 planes less than five months apart have raised alarm, but experts are wary of linking the two.

The head of Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, Soerjanto Tjahjono, said Tuesday it was unclear if the cause of Sunday's disaster in Ethiopia was similar to the still-undetermined reason for a Lion Air crash in October.

Tjahjono said his agency is waiting for Ethiopian authorities to respond to its offer to assist with the investigation into the crash that killed all 157 people aboard.

The Max 8 operated by Indonesia's Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea on Oct. 29, killing 189 people.

"We have the same model of Max 8 that crashed, but we cannot estimate whether they have the same problem. This is certainly very interesting to investigate together," Tjahjono said. "We are ready to provide our experts to meet their needs."

A preliminary report from his agency stopped short of declaring a probable cause of the crash. But it provided details about the pilots' struggle to fly the highly automated jet and Lion Air's difficulties with fixing sensors on the plane.

The Lion Air plane had issues on several flights before it crashed, with terrifying episodes of loss of altitude.

Shortly after it took off on its final flight, the jet's pilots were battling the Max 8's automated system, which pitched its nose down repeatedly, possibly because of a faulty sensor, until they finally lost control, the investigators reported.

They interviewed engineers about why they had certified that the plane was airworthy and whether they had followed required maintenance procedures.

Tjahjono said Indonesia's investigation into the Lion Air crash has made "significant progress" and is continuing to analyze the conversations recorded by the cockpit voice recorder that only was recovered from the sea bed in January.

Jakarta-based aviation expert Gerry Soejatman said airlines were being inundated with calls from travelers as more than a dozen nations including Indonesia grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 planes or ordered other precautions.

He likened the reaction to a "mass hysteria" that he said stems partly from Boeing Co.'s handling of the Lion Air crash.

"I'm really struggling to comprehend it," he said. "The public needs more, they need more reassurance."

After the Indonesian crash, Boeing issued a bulletin to operators of the Max 8 about possible problems with its automated anti-stall system. But it appeared routine and referred flight crews to existing guidelines.

That was followed by an emergency airworthiness directive from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration that directed airlines to make specific changes to flight manual procedures.

As with the Indonesian crash, aviation experts said only flight data and cockpit voice recorders could provide conclusive evidence about what caused the Ethiopian Airlines crash. One of the recorders recovered from the Ethiopian Airlines plane was partially damaged.

"The one thing we know for sure that both crashes involved the Boeing 737 Max 8 planes," said Choi Yong-jun, an aviation professor at South Korea's Kyungwoon University and a former air force pilot.

"So the only possible reaction is to conduct close safety inspections on the planes that are still in use," he said.

That both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines planes crashed just minutes after takeoff has generated speculation the Ethiopian Airlines jet had the same problem as the Lion Air jet.

But witness reports of smoke pouring out of the Ethiopian Airlines jet before it crashed suggest the cause could be different, said Geoffrey Thomas, an Australian aviation expert and editor-in-chief at Airlineratings.com.

"That would mean it had nothing in common with the Lion Air crash," he said. "What caused the smoke is hard to say. Small bomb, engine fire? Too early to tell."

If investigators find a common cause for the two tragedies stemming from the jetliner's design it could prove a serious blow to Boeing and prompt airlines and travelers to shun the jet. Boeing has more than 5,000 orders for the various Max versions, and they make up the largest share of the company's backlog of nearly 5,900 planes.

Associated Press writers Kristen Gelineau in Sydney and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul contributed to this report.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Fatal crashes of Boeing 737 Max 8 planes less than five months apart have alarmed the public, triggering a wave of groundings worldwide, but experts say reported similarities between the two disasters are not conclusive evidence of a shared cause.

The Ethiopian Airlines crash Sunday which claimed 157 lives was the second for the new Boeing plane after a Max 8 jet operated by Indonesia's Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea in October, killing 189 people.

Jakarta-based aviation expert Gerry Soejatman said airlines are being inundated with calls from travelers which along with governments grounding Max 8 fleets "shows that the public is scared."

Aviation experts contacted by Associated Press said only flight data recorders can provide conclusive evidence about what caused the Ethiopian Airlines crash.</s>A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrives in Ethiopia on Tuesday to aid investigators trying to determine the cause of an Ethiopian Airlines jet crash Sunday that killed 157 people aboard, including eight Americans. The airline said it has recovered the black box voice and data recorders from the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet. The crash raised new concerns about the safety of the Boeing plane, as it came less than five months after an Indonesian Lion Air Max 8 plunged into the Java Sea, killing all 189 passengers aboard. Ethiopia, China and Indonesia grounded their Max 8 planes Monday, but U.S. carriers Southwest and American both expressed confidence in the aircraft, which is included in their fleets. Here's what flyers need to know about the Max 8.

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China's civilian aviation authority has ordered all Chinese airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the order was issued at 9 a.m. Beijing time Monday and would last nine hours.

It said the order was taken out of safety concerns because the crash was the second after another of the planes fell into the ocean off the coast of Indonesia in similar circumstances on Dec. 29, killing all aboard.

It said further notice would be issued after consultation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing on safety measures taken.

Eight Chinese nationals were among the 157 people aboard the plane when it crashed Sunday shortly after takeoff.

Boeing's newest version of its most popular plane is again in the spotlight after a deadly accident in Ethiopia.

A Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after taking off Sunday from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 people on board.

The plane was new. The weather was clear. Yet something was wrong, and the pilots tried to return to the airport. They never made it.

Those circumstances make the accident eerily similar to an October crash in Indonesia that killed all 189 people on the plane.

Safety experts are noticing the similarities but say a verdict on the plane should wait until investigations are complete.

Boeing says its plane is safe. The company's sales didn't suffer after the Indonesia crash, and its stock price has soared.</s>CHICAGO (Reuters) - The three U.S. airlines using Boeing Co’s 737 MAX continued to stand by the aircraft on Tuesday, even as some customers, unions and politicians questioned its safety after an increasing number of countries banned the plane following a fatal crash in Ethiopia.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is one of the only major regulators to not suspend 737 MAX flights after Britain and the European Union joined a wave of other suspensions on Tuesday in the aftermath of two disasters involving the same plane within months.

Southwest Airlines Co, American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines said they were still confident in their fleets. Southwest and American have both said their fleet data showed the plane was safe.

Many potential passengers took to social media to express concerns, asking if they could change their flights and some even asking for cancellation. Southwest Airlines’ Twitter account (@SouthwestAir) was busy with hundreds of customers concerned about the plane.

Andrea Call (@andi_call) tweeted to Southwest that she was traveling with her daughter in May. “I don’t want to be on a Boeing Max 8,” she said. The airline responded that it was focused on safety, adding, “Our fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft are operating as planned today and we plan to operate those aircraft going forward.” Call would have to wait until 24 hours before the flight to find out what aircraft would be used.”

Twitter user Sandy (@nycsandygirl) tweeted that she had called American Airlines to change her flight but was told waivers were unavailable for nonrefundable fares.

“It is well within my right to request a change in aircraft without a change fee when safety concerns have been raised about a particular aircraft. China, Indonesia, Ethiopian Airlines & Cayman Airways have all grounded these aircraft so obviously there is a concern,” the Twitter user posted.

Unions that represent American Airlines’ flight attendants and pilots urged American Airlines Chief Executive Doug Parker to consider grounding the planes pending a thorough investigation. Flight attendants said they will not be forced to fly the aircraft if they feel unsafe.

A separate union representing United Airlines flight attendants also urged the FAA to ground the jets and conduct an investigation into the 737 MAX.

Pilot unions so far have not joined such requests.

U.S. Senators Mitt Romney and Elizabeth Warren were the latest politicians to call for the FAA to act.

The FAA and Boeing have said the planes are safe to fly.

With 34 737 MAX 8 jets, Southwest is the largest operator of the aircraft, which it said produces thousands of data points during each flight that are constantly monitored.

“To date, we have operated more than 41,000 flights and have corresponding aircraft data that indicates the effectiveness of our operating standards, procedures, and training,” spokeswoman Michelle Agnew said in a statement.

Southwest’s pilot association said on Tuesday it supported the airline’s decision to continue to fly the aircraft, as well as the FAA’s findings to date.

American Airlines released a similar statement on Monday, saying extensive flight data collected from its fleet gave it confidence in the safe operation of all its aircraft, including the 737 MAX 8.

An American official on Tuesday said the airline’s position remained the same.

American, with 24 MAX 8 planes, said it has been sharing its data with the FAA, in coordination with the Allied Pilots Association, a union that represents American’s pilots.

United Airlines, which does not fly the MAX 8 but operates another model in the series, the MAX 9, also reiterated its confidence in its pilots’ “ability to fly the aircraft safely.”

“(...) we continue to believe the planes will be found to be safe and the impact on Boeing’s long term operations, backlog, book of business and order flow will prove to be limited,” said Jim Corridore, an analyst at investment research firm CFRA who kept his “strong buy” opinion on Boeing.</s>Boeing shares fell more than 9 per cent Monday in pre-market trading

Aviation authorities in China, Indonesia and Ethiopia ordered airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes Monday after one crashed in Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board.

The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines jet shortly after it took off from Addis Ababa on Sunday is drawing renewed scrutiny of the plane just four months after a similar crash of the same model that killed 189 people in Indonesia.

Chicago-based Boeing said it did not intend to issue any new guidance to its customers. It does plan to send a technical team to the crash site to help Ethiopian and U.S. investigators.

The 737 is the bestselling airliner in history, and the Max, the newest version of it with more fuel-efficient engines, is a central part of Boeing’s strategy to compete with European rival Airbus.

“Safety is our number one priority and we are taking every measure to fully understand all aspects of this accident, working closely with the investigating team and all regulatory authorities involved,” the company said in a statement.

A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines, Asrat Begashaw, said the carrier had grounded its remaining four 737 Max 8 planes until further notice as an “extra safety precaution.”

The airline had been using five new 737 Max 8s and awaiting delivery of 25 more. Asrat said the search for body parts and debris from the crash was continuing.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration said that it ordered airlines to ground all 737 Max 8 aircraft, in line with the principle of “zero tolerance for security risks.”

It said it would issue further notices after consulting with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

READ MORE: Mother, young daughter from Edmonton killed in Ethiopian plane crash

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Chinese carriers and leasing companies operate 96 Boeing 737 8 MAXs, according to the government, with dozens more believed to be on order. China Southern Airlines is one of Boeing’s biggest customers for the aircraft.

Indonesia also grounded 11 737 Max 8s for inspections to ensure flight safety and that the planes are airworthy, said Director General of Air Transportation Polana B. Pramesti.

Cayman Airways also said it was temporarily grounding two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Real time flight radar apps showed dozens of the aircraft still operating around the globe.

The head of Indonesia’s national transport safety agency, Soerjanto Thahjono, offered to aid the Ethiopian investigation into Sunday’s crash.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board likewise said it was sending a team to help Ethiopian authorities. Boeing and the U.S. investigative agency are also involved in the probe into the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October.

Like the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which happened minutes after the jet’s takeoff from Addis Ababa, the Lion Air jet that crashed off Indonesia had erratic speed during the few minutes it was in the air.

Safety experts cautioned, however, against drawing too many parallels between the two disasters.

“I do hope though that people will wait for the first results of the investigation instead of jumping to conclusions based on the very little facts that we know so far,” said Harro Ranter, founder of the Aviation Safety Network, which compiles information about accidents worldwide.

The situation will be better understood after investigators analyze the Ethiopian plane’s black boxes, said William Waldock, an aviation-safety professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. An airline official said Monday that the black box and cockpit voice recorder had been found, but the box was partially damaged.

Waldock said the way the planes both crashed — a fatal nosedive — was likely to raise suspicion. Boeing will likely look more closely at the flight-management system and automation on the Max, he said.

“Investigators are not big believers in coincidence,” he said.

Boeing has delivered about 350 737 Max planes to scores of airlines and has orders for more than 5,000.

Shares in the company fell more than 9 per cent Monday in pre-market trading.

Alan Diehl, a former National Transportation Safety Board investigator, said reports of large variations in vertical speed during the Ethiopian jetliner’s ascent were “clearly suggesting a potential controllability problem.”

Other possible causes include engine problems, pilot error, weight load, sabotage or bird strikes, he said.

Ethiopian has a good reputation and the company’s CEO told reporters no problems were spotted before Sunday’s fight. But investigators also will look into the plane’s maintenance, which may have been an issue in the Lion Air crash.

Days after the Indonesian accident, Boeing notified airlines that faulty information from a sensor could cause the plane to automatically point the nose down. The automated system kicks in if sensors indicate that a plane is about to lose lift, or go into an aerodynamic stall. Gaining speed by diving can prevent a stall.

The notice reminded pilots of the procedure for handling such a situation, which is to disable the system causing the automatic nose-down movements.

Indonesian investigators are examining whether faulty readings from a sensor might have triggered the automatic nose-down command to the plane, which the Lion Air pilots fought unsuccessfully to overcome.

The Lion Air plane’s flight data recorder showed problems with an airspeed indicator on at least four previous flights, although the airline initially said the problem was fixed.

Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in December that the Max is a safe plane.

Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and AP Airlines Writer David Koenig in Dallas, Texas, contributed to this report.

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.</s>The head of Indonesia's national transport safety agency says it will offer to assist the Ethiopian investigation into the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane.

The same model of plane, operated by Lion Air, crashed in Indonesia in October, killing all 189 people on board. Like the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday, which killed 157 people, the Lion Air jet had erratic speed in the few minutes it was in the air.

Soerjanto Tjahjono, chairman of the National Safety Transportation Board, said Monday that Indonesia can be a party to Ethiopia's investigation because one of its citizens was among those who died in the crash.

He said, "However, we will also offer to assist the investigation process."</s>China on Monday ordered domestic airlines to suspend commercial operation of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, citing the Ethiopian Airlines crash and another deadly accident of that same model in Indonesia.

Noting the “similarities” between the two accidents, China’s Civil Aviation Administration said domestic airlines had until 6:00 pm local time (1000 GMT) to ground all 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Operation of the model will only resume after “confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety”, the administration said in a statement.

The aviation authority will contact the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, it said.

The statement cited the Kenya-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board, including eight from China.

It also mentioned the Indonesia Lion Air flight, which crashed after takeoff from Jakarta in October, killing all 189 people on board.

China is an important market for the US aircraft company, accounting for about one-fifth of worldwide deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX models.

The company has delivered 76 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to Chinese airlines, which have ordered another 104, according to data from the aircraft maker’s website updated through January.

Boeing and joint venture partner Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) operate a plant in the eastern city of Zhoushan that completes the interiors of 737 MAX planes for Chinese airlines.

The factory delivered its first MAX 8 plane to Air China in December. The planes are assembled in Renton, Washington state, and taken to Zhoushan to finish the interior work, according to Boeing.</s>After two deadly plane crashes involving Boeing’s 737 Max 8 jet over the past six months, many airline passengers and airlines have starting to consider whether or not the planes are safe to fly.



While a number of airlines have opted to ground the planes, several others have not, specifically those in the United States and Canada.



The FAA is still allowing the planes to fly, as it did after the Lion Air crash in November, and has instead said that it will mandate “design changes” to the Max 8 as well as the Max 9 “no later than April 2019,” CNN reports. However, the announcement also indicated that it had not yet determined the cause of the most recent Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Boeing, on the other hand, maintains that the planes are safe to fly, and has said that it has been working to develop an enhancement to the plane’s flight control software to “make an already safe aircraft safer” and is currently working on the planning and certification of that software with the FAA. It’s expected to be deployed in the coming weeks.



What airlines are currently flying Boeing’s 737 Max 8?

There are only 350 Boeing Max’s in operation around the world, across 54 different operators. The vast majority of those planes have been grounded either by the airline or the government of their country in the wake of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The U.S. and Canada are currently the only two countries where a substantial number of the planes are operating. As far as U.S. carriers go, Southwest Airlines has 34 Max 8’s in its fleet and American Airlines has 24. In Canada, the planes are only being flown by Air Canada and Westjet.



How can I find out if I’m flying on a 737 Max 8?

In many cases, the type of plane a flight is on will be listed right where you’re booking the ticket.

If you’ve already booked your plane ticket, the type of plane you’re flying on should be printed on the ticket itself. For instance, on this ticket Alaska Airlines ticket I was able to see that the plane will be part of the Airbus series.



If you don’t see it or want more info, then SeatGuru can make finding that info easy. There, you enter in your airline, date or flight, and flight number and you’ll get info about the aircraft as well as the amenities on board and a seat map telling you where the best spots are to sit.



A SeatGuru search for that Alaska flight, for instance, went a little further than my ticket to the flight will be on an Airbus A320



What can you do if you don’t want to fly on one?

If you’ve already booked a ticket on a 737 Max 8, the unfortunate answer is “not much.” Both American and Southwest will let you rebook most fares or tickets, but that rebooking can come at a cost.

For Southwest, you typically only need to pay the difference in fare between your current ticket and the one you’re swapping it to; however, the airline has reportedly decided to not allow customers to switch flights between the 737 Max and regular 737. With American, you’ll have to pay the difference in fare as well as a $200 change fee. If you have a Basic Economy ticket then you won’t be allowed to change the flight at all, making your only solution if you don’t want to fly on a 737 Max to simply buy a new plane ticket.

Shockingly, United is the only airline offering to help switch customers’ flights for free, and it doesn’t even own any of the Max 8 planes. It does have 14 Max 9’s in its fleet and has said that it will “do what is best in our capabilities to find alternative travel arrangements,” for any passengers that are uncomfortable flying on one.</s>Most of the airlines flying Boeing’s 737 MAX 8 – the model that has crashed twice in the past six months, including Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines disaster – are continuing to use the jet, including major U.S. airlines.

China and Indonesia, as well as a few airlines in other countries, have grounded their MAX 8 fleets, however. India’s air safety regulator said Monday it is ordering a review of the MAX.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Monday afternoon it plans to issue a “continued airworthiness notification” for the MAX jet. It is collecting data on the crash and has a team on the ground in Ethiopia along with the National Transportation Safety Board, the agency said. “If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action,” it said on Twitter.

The Renton-built 737 MAX is Boeing’s best-selling plane, and the company has been delivering the newer MAX 8 model since May 2017.

In October, a MAX 8 operated by Lion Air crashed in the Java Sea, killing 189 people on board. Then on Sunday, a MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, killing all 157 people on board. Both were new planes that crashed shortly after takeoff, though it’s not yet clear if there might be any link between the two crashes.

Airlines have ordered more than 5,000 of the jets, but just 350 of those have been delivered, according to data compiled by The Associated Press.

Southwest Airlines has 31 of the planes delivered, American Airlines and GECAS have 22 and Air Canada has 20. Norwegian Air Shuttle has 18; China Southern Airlines has 16; Air China, Air Lease Corp, Flydubai and Lion Air all have 14 each; China Eastern Airlines has 13; and United Airlines and WestJet have 12 each.

SeaTac-based Alaska Airlines doesn’t have any operating now but has ordered 32 of the jets.

Regulators in China and Indonesia have grounded their nations’ MAX 8 aircraft in the wake of Sunday’s crash.

The other airlines that have at least temporarily halted MAX 8 flights include Ethiopian Airlines, Cayman Airways and Comair. In all, 23 airlines have grounded the aircraft model, mostly in China.

The two American airlines with the most MAX 8s – Southwest and American airlines – issued statements to CNN saying they would continue to fly the MAX 8.

“We remain confident in the safety and airworthiness of our fleet of more than 750 Boeing aircraft,” the Southwest statement said. American said it has “full confidence in the aircraft.”

Other airlines continuing to stand behind the MAX 8 include Norwegian Airlines, TUI Aviation, Silk Air, Fiji Airways, Icelandair, Flydubai, WestJet, GOL Linhas Aereas.

Here’s a full list of which airlines have MAX jets in their fleet and which have them on order.
China and Indonesia ground 737-8 MAX aircraft across their nations in response to the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 disasters; airlines elsewhere including Ethiopian Airlines voluntarily ground their own 737 MAX jets.