US aviation regulators order Boeing to make design changes on 737 MAX 8 The US Federal Aviation Administration said it’s working with local authorities and has given Boeing until April to make changes to the 737 MAX 8. JOHANNESBURG - Regulators from the United States have ordered Boeing to make design changes to the 737 MAX 8 after the deadly crash in Ethiopia. One hundred and fifty-seven people died when their aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday. Hundreds of these new best-selling jets are being used around the world, with several countries grounding the model plane - Singapore being the latest. The US Federal Aviation Administration said it’s working with local authorities and has given Boeing until April to make changes to the 737 MAX 8. Aviation expert and former South African Airways pilot Karl Jensen believes that it will only take days for investigators to find the problem and come up with a solution. “These airlines are extremely complex machines and they try to build them to be totally safe, far safer than crossing the road with a green robot on. I’m sure they will get to the bottom of this, especially after they found the cockpit voice recorder as well as the black box.” He has commended Comair for grounding this model, despite the financial impact. (Edited by Mihlali Ntsabo)<doc-sep>Air travelers planning trips in the weeks ahead may want to double check what kind of plane they’re set to fly on. President Trump announced Wednesday that the U.S. will ground Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft BA, +0.26% following the Sunday crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. With the announcement, the U.S. joins a growing number of countries that have grounded the aircraft as authorities investigate whether the plane itself played a role in last weekend’s disaster, which killed 157 people, and the October 2018 crash of Lion Air Flight 610, which killed 189 people. Before Trump’s announcement, the Federal Aviation Administration had maintained the stance that the aircraft was safe and did not recommend grounding it. Don’t miss:Europe and Canada have banned Boeing’s 737 Max — should U.S. passengers be concerned? Other countries that have banned the aircraft from their airspace for now include the U.K., France, Germany, China, India and Australia. The Boeing 737 Max was the plane involved in both crashes, leading some to speculate that a flaw in the aircraft itself could have played a role. However, other aviation safety experts have argued that pilot error, and not the plane and its software, is more likely to blame for the two tragedies. “ ‘Definitely call and check the status of your reservation and ask about your re-booking options. Flights are more likely to cooperate given the public outcry.’ ” — —Tracy Stewart, content editor at Airfarewatchdog With so many countries now barring the aircraft from flying, delays and cancellations could grow as airlines scramble to reassign flights to other planes in their fleet. Here is what air travelers should know and expect in the foreseeable future: Your flight may be delayed or cancelled Airlines have a limited fleet to work with — increasing the likelihood that cancellations or delays may occur as they work to move any unused planes into service to replace the ground Boeing 737 Max aircraft. “Most airlines do not have the capacity to use other planes to carry extra passengers; airlines do not typically have an extra aircraft for every flight,” said Henrik Zillmer, CEO of AirHelp, a company that facilitates pasenger compensation for delayed or cancelled flights. “If airlines act fast and look ahead, they could avoid further chaos by potentially reassigning flights. However, without proactive action, this situation could lead to cancelled or overbooked flights, and ultimately, boarding denials.” Before Trump’s announcement, Zillmer predicted that chaos could erupt in Europe as passengers hastened to rebook affected flights. The good news is that the fallout from this chain of events will be somewhat limited, as there were only 350 Boeing 737 Max 8s in service globally, said Tracy Stewart, content editor at travel deal site Airfarewatchdog. “ Most airlines do not have the capacity to use other planes to carry extra passengers ” — —Henrik Zillmer, CEO of AirHelp Still, some airlines may be more adversely affected than others. Southwest Airlines LUV, +1.09% had more Max 8 aircraft, with 34 of the planes in service, than any other American carrier, meaning it will have to work that much harder to reassign flights. Even before the U.S. grounded the aircraft though, Southwest was letting passengers rebook on another aircraft. In a statement Wednesday, Southwest said the 737 Max aircraft accounted for less than 5% of its flights each day. Customers booked on cancelled 737 Max flights will be able to rebook on alternate flights without any additional fees or fare differences within 14 days of their original date of travel between the two original destinations. “While we remain confident in the MAX 8 after completing more than 88,000 flight hours accrued over 41,000 flights, we support the actions of the FAA and other regulatory agencies and governments across the globe,” the company said. United Airlines UAL, +1.81% said that around 40 flight a day are served by the company’s 14 MAX aircraft typically. ”Through a combination of spare aircraft and rebooking customers, we do not anticipate a significant operational impact as a result of this order,” a United spokesman said. “We will continue to work with our customers to help minimize any disruption to their travel.” Read more:Pilot of crashed Ethiopian Airlines jet reported flight-control problems American Airlines AAL, +2.97% said it has 24 aircraft affected by Trump’s order and that it will “make every effort to rebook customers as quickly as possible.” “Definitely call and check the status of your reservation and ask about your rebooking options,” Stewart said. “Flights are more likely to cooperate given the public outcry.” Consumers could be hard-pressed to get compensation if their flight is cancelled Policies regarding compensation for delayed or cancelled flight vary from country to country and airline to airline. But even in places with the most comprehensive compensation policies, travelers could be out of luck if the Boeing 737 Max grounding situation affect their flight. For instance, in the European Union, regulation stipulates that passengers whose flight arrival at its final destination is delayed by three or more hours are entitled to compensation totaling between 250 and 600 euros based on the flight distance and the delay’s length. However, airlines are not required to provide compensation if the cancellation was caused by “extraordinary circumstances.” “This is considered an extraordinary circumstance under most consumer travel regulations such as the European passenger law EC 261 and the international regulation Montreal Convention, and are situations in which travelers are not eligible for compensation,” Zillmer said, referring the Boeing 737 Max grounding. In European Union states, travelers would still be entitled to reimbursement for their airfare or re-routing, among other forms of relief, despite not receiving compensation. That’s not necessarily the case in the other countries that have grounded the aircraft. For instance, in the United States, there are no federal requirements for steps that airlines must take in such a situation. Also see:Stop falling for these 4 traps when booking flights Travel insurance won’t necessarily help you recoup any losses If a given country’s laws don’t protect air travelers, travel insurance may not be of much help either.<doc-sep>U.S. airlines tried to assure nervous customers Monday that the Boeing 737 MAX jets they fly are safe, a day after one of the new jets operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed outside of Addis Ababa and killed all 157 people on board. Accident investigators from Ethiopia and the U.S. are looking for clues as to what brought down the flight and analysts have cautioned that it's too early to know the cause. Investigators have recovered the so-called black boxes, which contain data showing the flight's movements and cockpit voice recordings. U.S. federal aviation officials on Monday said they still consider the Boeing 737 MAX planes airworthy. "External reports are drawing similarities between this accident and the Lion Air Flight 610 accident on October 29, 2018," the Federal Aviation Administration said in its notice. "However, this investigation has just begun and to date we have not been provided data to draw any conclusions or take any actions." The crash has sparked concern among some lawmakers, flight attendants and members of the public, who asked airlines on social media whether these planes are safe and in some cases, whether they can switch their flights. "We have not relaxed our fare rules or restrictions at this point," said Southwest Airlines spokesman Chris Mainz. Southwest had 34 of Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes in its fleet of about 750 as of the end of last year and remains "confident in the safety and airworthiness" of its aircraft, the carrier said in a statement. Southwest doesn't charge flight change fees like other airlines but passengers flying on different days and flights will have to pay a difference in fare. tweet American Airlines issued a similar statement and said it had full confidence in its planes and crew members. The airline has 14 of the Boeing 737 MAX 8s in its fleet and has not altered its ticket change polices as of Monday morning. tweet Some cabin crew members have expressed concerns about the crash. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines including United, said it was formally requesting that the Federal Aviation Administration investigate the plane. United operates a larger model of the Boeing 737 MAX. tweet "While it is important that we not draw conclusions without all of the facts, in the wake of a second accident, regulators, manufacturers and airlines must take steps to address concerns immediately," said the AFA's international president, Sara Nelson.<doc-sep>Pay based on use Get Started Purchase a Team or Enterprise subscription for per week You will be billed per month after the trial ends<doc-sep>
Photo : Getty Following two devastating crashes involving the Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft, China and Indonesia have grounded the model from commercial flights pending further investigation. As the general public has become increasingly concerned about the safety of flying on one of the most popular airplanes in the world, the Federal Aviation Administration is issuing a global notice stating confidence in the “continued airworthiness” of Boeing’s jets—dozens of which are likely in the sky above our heads at this very second. On Sunday, an Ethiopian Airlines flight carrying 157 people crashed just outside the country’s capital Addis Ababa—no one on board the Boeing 737 Max-8 survived. We still don’t know what caused the crash, but the fact that the same model of aircraft operated by Lion Air crashed in October, leaving 189 people dead, was enough to raise concerns that something could be wrong with Boeing’s airliner. In a statement sent to Gizmodo, an FAA spokesperson wrote: An FAA team is on-site with the NTSB in its investigation of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. We are collecting data and keeping in contact with international civil aviation authorities as information becomes available. Today, the FAA will issue a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) for Boeing 737 MAX operators. The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of U.S. commercial aircraft. If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action. The FAA spokesperson included a document that outlines the efforts the FAA has already taken in investigating the incident. According to the document, the FAA has already reviewed several key aspects of the Lion Air crash from October and deemed the airplane to be safe for flight. It also lists some “flight control system enhancements” that it “anticipates mandating” for Boeing to implement no later than the end of April. The listed enhancements include updated training requirements and manuals. Boeing 787 Max flights being tracked by Flightradar24 Screenshot : Flightradar24 According to Bloomberg, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao answered reporters questions about the investigation while taking an unrelated conference call this afternoon. “We’re obviously very concerned about what’s been happening, and we’re monitoring the situation very carefully because safety is our number one priority,” she said. Two U.S.-based carriers operate the Max-8: American Airlines and Southwest Air. Both told Gizmodo on Monday morning that they do not currently plan to ground the aircraft in their fleets. According to the FAA, there are currently 74 aircraft in the Boeing 737 Max line operating the U.S. and 387 models flying around the world. Many Americans on social media are livid with the FAA’s hesitance to ground flights while it investigates the situation further, and airline workers have concerns as well. Lori Bassani, president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, told Bloomberg that the organization has “had a few flight attendants who are indicating they are afraid to fly the 737 Max.” Live air traffic tracker Flightrader24 has an ongoing list of countries and private airlines that have grounded 737 Max flights. The site also has a live feed of the airplanes flight paths around the globe that at the time of writing shows between 60 and 70 of the Boeing aircraft currently traveling over the United States. As of January, Boeing listed 4,661 outstanding orders for the 737 Max that it had yet to fulfill. With each unit going for around $121 million, the company has a significant interest—about $564 billion—in putting fears to rest. Anyone who finds themselves worried about an upcoming flight is encouraged to check SeatGuru to find out if they’re scheduled to fly on one of the models that are under investigation. [FAA, Bloomberg, Flightradar24]