Southwest Airlines Pilots Association Files Suit Over Boeing 737 MAX Groundings
08 October 2019 - 09:00AM
Dow Jones News
By Kimberly Chin
The Southwest Airlines Pilot Association has accused Boeing Co.
of misleading the airline and its pilots about the safety of the
737 MAX aircraft.
The lawsuit, which was filed in a district court in Dallas,
alleges that Boeing misled Southwest Airlines Co. pilots when it
asserted its 737 MAX aircraft were airworthy and the same as the
previous 737 aircraft models.
The nonprofit employee organization and the sole bargaining unit
for Southwest Airlines pilots said those assertions were false and
cost hundreds of lives, eroded the trust between pilots and
passengers, and curbed opportunities for people to travel by
air.
More than 30,000 scheduled flights were cancelled due to the
grounding, the association said, which could lead to reduced
passenger service by 8% by the end of 2019. The association
estimates that pilots have lost more than $100 million in
compensation from the grounding.
"We have to be able to trust Boeing to truthfully disclose the
information we need to safely operate our aircraft. In the case of
the 737 MAX, that absolutely did not happen," said Jonathan Weaks,
president of the association, in prepared remarks.
"It is critical that Boeing takes whatever time is necessary to
safely return the MAX to service," Mr. Weaks said.
Write to Kimberly Chin at kimberly.chin@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 07, 2019 17:45 ET (21:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Boeing (NYSE:BA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
Boeing (NYSE:BA)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024