True but there are differences in maintenance allocation as well as age and model of planes in fleet among the carriers. Just as not all automobiles are created equal or service crews equally competent to deal with increasingly complex designs.
Also unfortunately not all pilots were equally trained to fly a 737 max with malfunctioning MCAS flight-control system that fought their best efforts until they were compacted into ground.
That would be them. (80-82?) All of we strangers were holding hands - we just knew it was all over. We bonded! Lol
When your stock symbol is āSAVEā, that should mean something.
Boeing bent the rules A LOT when it came to the MAX, but they were under a lot of pressure from their biggest customers, the US carriers. They fudged it so it was still technically a 737 and pilots with a current 737 type rating would just need whatās called ādifferences trainingā instead of a whole new type rating, which saved the carriers a ton of time and money.
But what was disturbing to me was the fact that all US-bound MAX had both an angle of attack indicator and an angle of attack ādisagreeā warning light installed as standard equipment (and possibly Canada-eh and the UK as well), but in order to make the plane more budget-friendly to poorer nationsā carriers they were only offered as options. Really expensive options.
It gets even deeper than that, but the whole thing was a huge mess. The blame isnāt just Boeingās to bear. Itās shared by every aeronautical regulatory body across the world (especially the FAA), every carrier that ordered one (especially US legacy carriers), and pilot unions (especially ALPA).
Near death experiences and rage-inducing employee incompetence, maybe.
You are right. The engines were forward the wing as well so thrust dynamics were different. But the worst thing was the MDAS angle of attack error that made the plane dive as the pilot tried to correct. Not well written instructions either. The pilots who survived thought instead of looked up directions which appeared to be wrong.
It must have been horrifying for the pilots who went to their deaths - seeing and feeling it loom until impact. Passengers of course. And flight attendants hearing the screaming from the cockpit did not go gently.
I predict that Frontier and Spirit will be under the same umbrella within the next decade. The seats are equally terrible while charging extra for everything that isnāt fuel and taxes. After paying $200 for two carry on bags on a flight that cost about $340 (round trip for two adults) Iāve decided that Iām more than willing to give Southwest a try next time I fly.
In fairness,
And for the route I took that lower price also was the only non-stop. That crucial aspect has changed on more expensive carriers during COVID and some airlines austerity measures meant connecting flights (a bit counter intuitive).
United, only because I havenāt flown Spirit, Frontier, or Allegiant.
Last time I had to fly, about 5 years ago, my choices were driving 30 minutes and flying United or driving 3 hours and flying Southwest. I chose Southwest.
United also kicked a family of 4, including 2 kids, off a flight back in 2013 because one of them complained about the in-flight movie (Alex Cross, a very violent PG13). The plane didnāt have seat-back video, so everyone had to watch the same movie.
Pissed me off and made me laugh at the same time.
Great video. As for solutions, while rarer, rectangular hard cases for acoustic guitars are sold. Luggage handling systems seem to be designed for rectangular items.
A standard slimmer necked guitar case might get snagged on a conveyor belt. If the next item is 60+ lb luggage going down the chute by gravity, the neck of the guitar may give way. Sadnessā¦
