Boeing May Rename Jet Involved in Fatal Crashes

Published: June 26, 2019, 2 p.m.

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The Paris Air Show kicked off earlier this week, and the most awkward guest at the party appears to be Boeing, the airplane maker that\\u2019s been scrambling since March to fix a software glitch that\\u2019s being blamed for two fatal plane crashes.

And the fix truly can\\u2019t come quick enough. The FAA has grounded the plane at the heart of the disasters \\u2013 the 737 Max 8 \\u2013 and Boeing\\u2019s biggest airline customers are mired in delays due to the airplane shortage. In fact, several of those big customers, including Delta and American Airlines, made deals with Boeing rival Airbus on the first day of the show, while Boeing netted zero new orders.

In speaking to reporters at Paris, Boeing\\u2019s CEO of commercial aircraft Kevin McAllister apologized not only \\u201cfor the loss of lives\\u201d but also for the disruptions the airlines were facing and how it was impacting summer travel.

And while it\\u2019s hustling to try to fix the problem in a way that satisfies regulators, customers and travelers alike, Boeing has no timetable for when the plane will fly again. So, what else can they do in the meantime?

Bloomberg has reported that Boeing\\u2019s CFO Greg Smith told reporters the company remains \\u201copen-minded\\u201d to changes that will help restore the infamous plane, one of which might be a rebrand \\u2013 meaning, the company could actually change the plane\\u2019s name.

However you feel about this tactic, it wouldn\\u2019t be the first time a company tried to skirt bad publicity by slapping a new name on something \\u2013 let us not forget that the cancer non-profit Livestrong was once called the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Boeing says its most immediate objective is not a re-brand, rather, it\\u2019s getting the plane back in the air safely, and re-earning the trust of the airlines and traveling public. And while it seems Boeing is acknowledging a pretty real threat \\u2013 what if nobody wants to get on the planes even after they\\u2019ve been fixed? \\u2013 is it considered \\u201cre-earning trust\\u201d when you just slap a new name on the plane?

Heck, maybe they won\\u2019t need to. Day 2 of the Paris Show resulted in a win for Boeing, who netted a letter of intent from International Airlines Group for 200 737s, the company\\u2019s first order for the jetliner since the fatal March crash.

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