The MAXophobia is installed, action must be taken
Following the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight ETH302, several saw similarities between this accident and that of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018. Social were then filled with comments linking these two accidents. Then traditional media followed and because in the public mind, a doubt was sown on the security of the B737MAX, the MAXophobia was born.
It must be recognized that 346 victims in five months on the same type of aircraft, it strikes the imagination and the fear that both disasters generate in peoples mind is all legitimate. It must be understood that fear is an essential component of the survival instinct and is part of us. Following the tragedy last Sunday, it is quite normal for passengers to feel uncomfortable with boarding a B737-MAX to the point of refusing to take their flight.
In such a situation, the public and travelers expect airlines and civil aviation authorities to put their concerns first and take the necessary measures to protect them. The decision to suspend B737MAX flights reassures the public that security is at the forefront. If during the investigation there is evidence that there is no danger, the flights may resume and the public will feel they have been protected.
The authorities that maintain the flights of the B737MAX and the airlines that continue to operate it make their decision based on a traditional risk management method without taking into account the fear that has gripped the public. By refusing to consider an emotion as strong and intense as fear, the Canadian and US authorities as well as Boeing are likely to cause even more harm to travelers and popular opinion.
The majority of people who travel do so for the purpose of business, entertainment and rest, but if boarding a plane they are afraid of causes them greater inconvenience than the benefits of the trip, then there is no mean to travel anymore. If the FAA and Transport Canada can maintain the B737MAX in flight, they cannot force people to board it. In the name of public confidence in aviation safety, B737MAX flights should be suspended in Canada and the United States, the time to see it a little clearer and calm.
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