The 737 Max Is Back

Airlines Report That Few Passengers Are Booking Away From the Aircraft

Pushing Back: Inside the Issue

After two fatal accidents, regulators around the world grounded the Boeing 737 Max for almost two years. When the FAA re-certified the aircraft, most Max operators allowed passengers to book away from the type. Media reports were awash with stories about people swearing they would never fly the aircraft. And now, half a year later? Are people afraid of the Max? Our reporting says no. In fact, most passengers don't know they're on a Max, and if they do, they don't seem to care. And airlines love the aircraft. If that sounds familiar, it is. In the 1970s, passengers swore they would never board another DC-10, after a string of fatal accidents. Yet that aircraft, in various forms, continued flying into this decade. For more, turn to this week's Feature Story.

Elsewhere in the issue, Latin American airlines are going on an aircraft-order binge and adding dozens of new routes. Cargo continues to be a lifeline for airlines around the world, including Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Turkish, and Korean, which actually reported its fifth consecutive quarterly profit thanks to freight. Embraer is pressing ahead with its turboprop. Despite the spread of the coronavirus Delta variant, airlines are starting to feel more optimistic and adding dots to their maps. But supply chain bottlenecks could become more widespread as the industry races to complete deferred maintenance and restores aircraft to their fleets.

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The Airline Weekly Lounge Podcast

Why are Latin American airline on an aircraft order binge? That's the question the Airline Weekly team discuss in this week's episode of 'The Lounge. Will the supply chain woes Mesa is encountering affect other airlines as maintenance comes due? And what can the industry expect from the mammoth infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Senate? Listen to this week's episode to find out. Past episodes are archived here.

Summer Hiatus

Airline Weekly is taking its annual summer hiatus. The next issue of Airline Weekly will be distributed on Tues., Sept. 7 (the day after the Labor Day holiday in the U.S.). We will continue to podcast and publish AW Daily updates every day during the weekly issue's hiatus.