The leaders of United Airlines and Alaska Airlines took turns Tuesday blasting Boeing over manufacturing problems that have led to the grounding of more than 140 of their planes, with United’s CEO saying his airline will consider alternatives to buying a future, larger version of the Boeing 737 Max.
“I am more than frustrated and disappointed. I am angry,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci told “NBC Nightly News” in an interview that aired Tuesday night. “My demand on Boeing is, what are they going to do to improve their quality programs in-house?”
United CEO Scott Kirby said that Boeing needs “real action” to restore its previous reputation for quality.
Boeing said workers at its 737 factory would stop work on Thursday to hold a special session to focus on quality.
The strong and unusual criticism of Boeing by airline…