Union: Some American Airlines flight attendants too scared to fly on Max planes
Some American Airlines flight attendants are still too frightened to fly the Boeing 737 Max, a union leader says.
Association of Professional Flight Attendants president Lori Bassani says there is still some way to go before cabin crew will be completely comfortable boarding a Max plane.
"I hear from some flight attendants every day and they are begging me to not make them go back up in that airplane," APFA President Lori Bassani said.
"We want to know without a doubt that it’s safe to fly."
The planemaker and the FAA still need to regain the trust of airline employees, and Bassani wants answers to still unresolved issues direct from Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
"We want to be face to face. We want to look in their eyes and ask the hard questions. We have a long ways to go."
The FAA says it is on track for re-certifying the flight-control software in about a month’s time.
Before it starts commercial services, American will operate several ‘exhibition’ non-revenue flights with employees, executives and members of the media.
Only when employees are happy with the safety will it restart commercial operations, the airline said.
"After the FAA has given their sign of approval, after our pilots have said ‘Yes we’re ready to go,’ we intend to fly that aircraft so that our team is comfortable," president Robert Isom said.
The APFA believes once the FAA grants airworthiness, all other global aviation regulators will likely follow quickly with their own approvals.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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