Regarding these snippets from Ellie Kaufman’s post on CNN today (link at bottom): While the Lion Air crash in October and Sunday's Ethiopian crash are not linked beyond the fact that both planes were of the same model, CNN aviation safety analyst and former FAA safety inspector David Soucie said he would not get on a 737 MAX 8 plane today because travelers don't have enough information. After the Lion Air crash near Jakarta, Indonesia, Boeing issued a bulletin and recommended that all pilots take training to not make the same mistake made in that crash, but the training was not made mandatory. "The training that was recommended by Boeing after the Lion Air accident, there's no way for me to know whether the airline I'm on or the pilot that's flying had that training or not," Soucie said. "If there was a way for me to know that, then I would most definitely get on that airplane." Has Southwest given any indication or reassurance about this training? Was this training made mandatory, or can it be? I know that we don’t have enough information at this point to be certain but it seems like a worthwhile investment to me to proactively ensure all pilots get this training ASAP before flying the 737-MAX’s again - a worthwhile investment both in terms of critical safety and in terms of reassuring customers with flights coming up on Southwest, such as myself. My fiancée and I are traveling Seattle to Providence, and then Albany to Seattle in the week before April to visit aging grandparents (in rapidly declining health in one case). We’d really rather not postpone, but given Southwest’s lack of action or accountability on this matter we may feel that we have no choice. No offense to individuals working at the FAA, respect and thanks for the hard work you do. That being said, in the US we have seen occasions where the bottom line can drive too many government decisions that affect private companies’ actions toward the public and the public’s safety. I hope that is not the case this time regarding the FAA’s leniency on this issue and not grounding the planes. Southwest, if you’re listening, please do the right thing, and take care of us, your passengers, who should be able to trust you with our basic physical safety. Please require possibly relevant mandatory training on the 737-MAX issue, or ground the planes, given that there is not enough information and your decision to not ground them could lead to even more tragic loss of lives. Even if my flights are not affected, and I haven’t checked yet because my personal case isn’t really my point here, I felt strongly enough to tap all this out, hoping to reach someone who can make the difference. Thanks for your time and consideration. Safe travels to all my fellow passengers. Link to CNN post mentioned above: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/11/politics/737-max-8-plane-crash-passenger-options/index.html
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