Avelo Airlines Flies Boeing Planes Out of Salem
Are They Safe? Probably, because those aren’t the Boeing models with recent safety issues
Boeing is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year.
A series of very scary safety issues - including a rear door “plug” blowing off a commercial passenger plane over Oregon - has put the aviation giant in the spotlight. The bad kind, though. The oh-god-they’re-on-the-frontpage-of-the-ny-times bad and the federal government would like a word (or several) very soon bad. Real bad.
And for good reason. The unscheduled door departure has aged into a full-blown debacle. Other shit went down. A whistleblower ended his life in a hotel car park as he was giving testimony unfavorable to Boeing. John Barnett told the BBC before his death “that under-pressure workers had been deliberately fitting sub-standard parts to aircraft on the production line.”
Look, I barely understand how planes stay in the air…but that shit sounds fucking terrifying.
The good news, though, is that Salem Airport partner Avelo Airlines - an ultra low-cost airline startup and recent beneficiary of millions in Salem City public funding - flies a fleet full of Boeings….(wait for it)....that appear to have nothing to do with the current Boeing model experiencing all of the terrifying issues.
See? Good news.
I mean, the mostly-leased fleet of planes that Avelo flies are kinda old.
And if you look into the history of airline incidents involving the Boeing NG 737-700 and -800 series - the models that Avelo flies - you would find long lists of incredibly anxiety-inducing incidents. Some pilot error. Some just freak accidents. But a bunch that weren’t either.
Honestly, if you look into the aviation history of just about any aircraft, it’s pretty fucking sweaty. You’re better off just pretending that information doesn’t exist.
But, of course, statistically speaking, commercial flight is pretty damn safe. We all know that.
So, Avelo Airline’s business model is no frills, regional travel.
They seem to be pretty good at it. They are regularly in the news with announcements of growth and expansion - both in service and fleet.
Their fleet, by the way, is a key part of their business model. They mostly lease, but sometimes buy, old Boeing NG (or New Generation) 737s - series 700 or 800. They buy them from other airlines across the world who are cycling in newer aircraft, or airlines selling assets as they go out of business. The age of the Avelo fleet is reported to be anywhere from 11-20 years old, with an average of about 16 years.
Avelo buys old planes and fixes ‘em up. It ain’t rocket science. Actually, in this case I guess it kinda is?
If you wouldn’t mind nerding out on aviation shit for a moment, here are the major differences between the Boeing planes currently under intense scrutiny - the Boeing 737 Max 9 - and the planes that Avelo flies in and out of Salem - the Next Generation (NG) Series.
MAX Series vs. NG Series
The Boeing 737 MAX 9 is part of the MAX series, which is the latest generation of the Boeing 737 family. The NG series, which includes models like the 737-800, 737-900, and others, is the predecessor to the MAX series.
Engines: One of the significant differences between the MAX series and the NG series is the type of engines used. The MAX series features CFM International LEAP-1B engines, which offer improved fuel efficiency and performance compared to the CFM56 engines used in the NG series.
Winglets: The MAX series typically features advanced split-tip winglets, which are designed to reduce drag and improve fuel efficiency. While winglets are also available as an option on NG series aircraft, they are not as advanced as those found on the MAX series.
Aerodynamics: The MAX series incorporates several aerodynamic enhancements compared to the NG series, including redesigned nacelles and advanced spoilers. These improvements contribute to better fuel efficiency and overall performance.
Avionics: The MAX series features updated avionics systems, including the latest generation of flight management computers and displays. These systems offer improved navigation capabilities and enhanced situational awareness for the flight crew compared to the NG series.
Range and Efficiency: Overall, the MAX series is designed to be more fuel-efficient and offer better performance compared to the NG series. The MAX 9, for example, typically has a longer range and can carry more passengers than the NG series counterparts.
Safety Features: The MAX series incorporates additional safety features compared to the NG series, including the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), which is designed to improve handling characteristics. However, the implementation of MCAS in the MAX has been the subject of scrutiny following two fatal accidents, leading to significant changes in its operation and oversight.
And therein flies the irony.
Our local routes that Avelo flies in Salem use an older model of a plane that has fewer (or simply older) safety features. But safety issues plague the newer Boeing Max series despite the enhanced safety features.
And while our regional air travel options seem to be unscathed by this latest spate of manufacturing woes, Boeing seems to be stepping in larger and larger piles of shit with each step it takes.
Boeing’s biggest commercial airline customers seem super pissed.
Boeing’s competitors are angry.
Federal officials and Congress can’t wait to dig into Boeing.
Boeing has had a real tough go over the past few months (and really, the past few years), and it makes me sad because Boeing has such a large presence in the PNW. At one time it really was a great company. You can trace where it all went wrong though, and that was when the bean counters took charge from the engineers. Nothing has been the same since.
While there certainly have been some high profile incidents (the door plug over Beaverton being the craziest), it’s still much, much safer to fly in a Boeing jet than it is to drive to the airport.
This is a much more positive story about Avelo than I’ve heard in the past, when it seemed they were better known for cutting service than expanding it. In terms of profitability, should this still be a concern for potential longevity of commercial air service in Salem?
As for 737 MAX safety improvements, I don’t think there are any (nor was improving safety an intent, which is now infamously apparent). MCAS is probably the most misunderstood aspect of this. Its sole purpose was world over)to satisfy the FAA that the MAX was just yet another 737 version that handled like all the rest (despite, if you turned off MCAS, the plane behaved differently from other 737s). Very important, because if 737 pilots would have to be retrained to fly the MAX (and there are a HUGE number of them as the 737 is the most popular airliner the world over), the whole economic justification of the program would be severely harmed. Tragically, Boeing bungled how MCAS was originally designed and documented, and over 200 passengers died in two crashes as a result before Boeing finally got it right. It’s what happens when you replace an engineering and safety focused company with one prioritizing profits and stock price over everything else. Unclear how or if Boeing will be able to salvage its reputation after its internal cultural rot is now so obvious.
Also, the MAX debacle illustrates how in aviation, old, well maintained and inspected planes can end up being more safe than flashy new ones. It’s not that Avelo is doing anything unusual to “fix up” old airplane lanes; they are just following well-established paths to take advantage of older airplane models.