Southwest Pilots Sue Boeing Over 737 Max Grounding, Say Plane Maker ‘Deliberately’ Misled
October 9, 2019Stay in the know with exclusive industry news, click here and subscribe to our eNewsletter today!
Southwest Airlines’ pilots union is suing Boeing for damages caused by the prolonged grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, saying a steep reduction in flights has cost pilots an estimated $115 million in compensation.
In a 79-page lawsuit filed in Dallas on Monday, the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents nearly 10,000 pilots at the nation’s largest domestic carrier, slammed Boeing for what it called negligence and fraudulent misrepresentation and nondisclosure.
All stem from what the union says was Boeing’s sales pitch that the Max was “essentially the same as the time-tested 737 aircraft” Southwest pilots knew well.
The airline has an all-Boeing fleet and was announced as a launch customer for the Max in 2011. Southwest took delivery of its first Max in 2017 and had 34 in its fleet when the plane was grounded March 13 after two fatal crashes in less than five months.