Boeing's recent problems have put some pilots on high alert when they enter the cockpit.
“It gives me more of a pause when I get on the plane,” Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association and a US Airways pilot, told CNBC's “Last Call” on Tuesday. “And not to stop worrying about flying it – but to make sure I watch it like a hawk.”
Multiple incidents involving Boeing planes have made headlines over the past few days, including one in which at least 50 people were injured on board a 787 Dreamliner after passengers said it grounded quickly on a flight from Australia to New Zealand. The cause of this accident is still under investigation, but the airline LATAM Airlines referred to it as a “technical event.”
Southwest Airlines and Alaska Air said Tuesday that their flight plans are at risk amid Boeing's ongoing concerns about quality control.
“Every airline is basically struggling to ensure their network plan is not undermined by Boeing's failure,” said Tajer, a Boeing 737 captain. “And it changes every day.”
Despite his time flying Boeing 707s in Desert Storm for the U.S. Air Force, Tajer said he thinks about the risks of flying more than ever.
“I was in the army and Boeing rescued me several times during combat,” Tajer said. “The enemy was outside the plane. Now it appears the enemy is inside.”
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