Oh I do. Months at least if we take into consideration the FAA’s snail’s pace with anything regarding the MAX. We’ve seen how this plays out before.

Sorry Alaska & UAL pilots.

Probably nothing more involved than missing bolts on the plug door. There's some pretty good info floating around about how the plug doors work. Once installed by engaging the mechanism, they need to also install four bolts to keep the latches engaged. Failing to do that would allow the latches to eventually work loose given pressure cycles, bumps, and vibration. Sounds like you could engage the plug in the latches, and it would seat firmly (like a normal cabin door) so it wouldn't be obvious that you needed the retaining bolts if for some reason you weren't aware. Or maybe they intended to install the bolts later and forgot.

Also rumored that Spirit installed the plugs, and the fuselages were then transferred to Renton for final assembly and fitting out, where the plugs were removed for easy access to the interior. So the things might well have been assembled correctly, but bolts got left out when they opened them up again to install cabin seats.

Hopefully for the airlines involved the process failure was with a team installing cabin fittings, that seems easier to fix than the entire assembly line in KS.

Now about those 321 options, how many does HA have again?

18 on property. 6 more options. 4ish year wait.

Several problems need to be addressed before the FAA can authorize an inspection process and return to service.

First, why did the door fly off? Everyone is speculating that it was the loose bolts but the NTSB hasn't made an official ruling and the FAA hasn't said anything specific. Maybe the agencies, airlines, and Boeing already know the cause but the information hasn't been released to the public. Or maybe, the NTSB hasn't determined a cause. Either way, the FAA can't approve a fix until we have an official cause.

Then there's the problem of Boeing's failure to maintain the trust of the traveling public. Nobody trusts Boeing after the Max crashes, the 787 QC issues, and now the door blow-out. The politicians who run the FAA certainly won't hang their careers from Boeing's loose bolts. It wouldn't be such a big deal if it was only one aircraft with loose bolts, but both United and Alaska have found loose bolts throughout their fleets of Max 9s. Therefore, the only way the FAA could grant an easy fix is if Boeing shows that this issue is a closed case. Boeing has to pinpoint exactly how these bolts became loose, otherwise the quality control of their entire operation is suspect. Can Boeing trace this issue back to one crew, one shift, or one person? Then maybe they can claim it was a one-off training issue. Or maybe, they discover a typo in the manual, a missing page, or an incorrect diagram. Those could be valid explanations. But if the answer is "Our crews didn't properly tighten and fasten these bolts and we don't know why", then it stands to reason that Boeing's quality control is substandard and all Maxes need to go through a heavy check.

We can gripe about the FAA moving too slowly or administrators only caring about their political careers, but isn't that why we appoint independent government oversight? There must be independent, third-party oversight that is bound to the public's interest, or else complex entities like Boeing run themselves into the weeds. As somebody who operates a 737 for 600 hours a year, I welcome another set of eyes on the manufacturing process. I want someone with the power to say "no" who isn't beholden to the shareholders.

For all our Sakes here at AS, these planes better be coming back very soon, otherwise, we are looking to be overstaffed by at least 700+ Pilots!
We all know that AS is very good with “right-sizing” quickly to minimize loss of capital on the operation… 🤞

Thats what I was thinking as well. I bet they have already run the numbers on different "time the max is expected out of service" scenarios and got a plan to offer leaves............willing or not. They hate being overstaffed. They like running lean if anything.

So is the wedding off? Or do they need us more than ever? Cash burn sucks. HAL is king of that madness.

This is the most agreeable point in this entire thread. Boeing had repeatedly shown they only care about profit. It seems like safety is number 4 on their list of priorities. Alaska came out and said they’re already hiring people for oversight of Boeing manufacturing.

https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-ai...tions/as-1282/


Fact of the matter is Boeing is no longer the same company it once was. They keep failing and the flying public is getting fed up. If it’s not passengers being nervous to fly on the airplane so they book on a competitor not flying the MAX, it’s people worried that if it’s a MAX, what’s going to ground an entire fleet again for their next vacation or work trip.

The USAF has TWICE sent generals to the Everett plant about absolutely basic problems with the KC-46. We aren't talking esoteric engineering problems or software glitches, we are talking stuff like metallic FOD and old Big Mac wrappers being found rattling around various closed spaces and the occasional fuel tank

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/y...-debris-found/

I've always liked Boeing. I hold shares of Boeing stock, but the recent goings on there are ridiculous. It's like nobody really gives a damn.

If pilots get laid off because of, ALPA should sue Boeing IMO