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Boeing, whistleblowers, and consumer concern over airplane safety

This picture shows a view of the fuselage and one of the engines of a Boeing 777-9 jetliner aircraft on the tarmac during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central - Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.
This picture shows a view of the fuselage and one of the engines of a Boeing 777-9 jetliner aircraft on the tarmac during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central - Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.

Boeinghas had arough 2024 so far. And their troubles don’t look like they’re stopping anytime soon.

In less than two months, two whistleblowers who came forward about Boeing’s unsafe production standards have died. Then on Tuesday, an emergency slide that fell off a plane mid-air was found near the residence of a lawyer who was already suing the company.

While flying over Oregon, a piece of a Boeing 737 MAX came off mid-flight. There were no fatalities, but an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration found dozens of issues in the manufacturing process.This led to two senate panel hearings on Boeing’s safety culture, where more whistleblowers came forward.

So, how concerned should consumers be about airplane safety? What is being done to prevent further incidents? And can Boeing turn things around?

Copyright 2024 WAMU 88.5

Michelle Harven