How safety concerns over Boeing planes affect the air travel industry

The headaches just keep piling up for Boeing: The Justice Department recently launched a criminal investigation into the January incident involving an Alaska Airlines flight, according to an exclusive by the Wall Street Journal. And string of safety incidents on Boeing planes over the last week has once again turned the spotlight on Boeing and the well-documented safety concerns over its planes.

But as U.S. air travel continues to break records, does failing trust in Boeing and its planes actually hurt the industry?

Since an airplane door panel blew out midair on a 737 Max 9 in January, consumer trust in Boeing has taken a serious hit, said Nicki Zink with Morning Consult.

But as for the carriers who fly those planes, “actually, trust in airlines is creeping up a little bit following the end of 2022,” she said. “It’s small, but I think still really notable because it’s actually quite hard for brands to build trust.”

And Mike Gallinari with Mintel said that he doubts many travelers will actually stop flying in Boeing’s planes.

“Taking time out of this booking process to research the craft that the flight might be on and book around that if so desired — I think that’s just a level of work and complexity that your average air passenger isn’t going to undertake,” he said.

And when you consider alternatives like driving, “it’s still far safer to fly than any other form of transportation,” noted travel writer Tim Leffel.

Travelers may think poorly of Boeing, he said — but they’d still rather fly to visit grandma than stay home.