Passengers unfazed as troubled Boeing 737 MAX returns to NY after 2-year halt
Boeing’s troubled 737 MAX plane has returned to US skies after nearly two years — with an American Airlines flight touching down safely at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday afternoon.
While some travelers might have been scared away by the flight’s deadly track record — two crashes in 2018 totaling 346 victims — at least one couple on board told The Post they actually scheduled their travel plans specifically to take part in the historic Miami to New York flight.
“I didn’t mind getting up a little bit earlier to be part of history, literally,” said 23-year-old “plane aficionado” and Fordham law student Daniel Weiss.
“Planes crash. It’s unfortunate. But after 20 months. Boeing is a great company. I’d like to think that’s enough time to figure things out.”
Weiss’ girlfriend said she took a little convincing.
“He is a plane aficionado and convinced me to go on this flight. I knew they did extensive testing and it would be very safe,” said college student Justine Laufer, 22. “It felt like any other flight.”
The trip was the 737 MAX’s first commercial flight since President Trump ordered the plane to the ground in response to the deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia.
Federal Aviation Administration officials cleared the model for flights in November, saying Boeing had identified software and training changes required for safe operation.
The families of crash victims had protested the return to service because the final investigation into the Addis Ababa crash has yet to be published.
But those who took Tuesday’s flight appeared unfazed.
“It didn’t bother us one bit. We weren’t leery,” Maureen Hencsei, 59, of Bridgeport, said of the plane’s history.
“We didn’t have any expectation it would be bad.”
And at least one passenger flew blissfully unaware of the jet’s history. Fatima Lindsey, 26, of Northern California, had her headphones on during the pilot’s pre-flight speech.
“Oh wow. I did not know that,” she told The Post after learning of this flight’s historic significance. ”But everyone seemed like they were calm. They were just really relaxed.”
“I heard everyone clapping,” she said. “I was like, why are we clapping?”
