I’m booked on a Boeing 737 Max flight – can I cancel?

Q I am booked to fly from Manchester to Madeira with TUI Airways in July. I believe this may be operated by a Boeing 737 Max. If the ban on these planes flying is lifted by then, but I don’t have confidence in it, do I have any option to switch or cancel?

Marcia S

A Since the Ethiopian Airlines crash on 10 March, which claimed the lives of 157 passengers and crew, attention has focused on whether the Boeing 737 Max has an inherent design flaw in what is supposed to be a safety measure: a stall-protection system that forces the nose of the aircraft down, which can respond to false readings from a single inaccurate sensor.

That crash outside Addis Ababa followed a fatal accident involving Lion Air in October 2018 in similar circumstances in which 189 people died shortly after take-off from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Within four days of the Ethiopian Airlines tragedy, all Max versions of the Boeing 737 were grounded worldwide – including the jets operated by TUI Airways from Manchester.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spoke of “the possibility of a shared cause for the two incidents” when it banned the jet. Boeing has promised to “deploy safety enhancements and help ensure this does not happen again”. Past experience suggests it could take anything from several weeks to three months to remedy what may be a fatal weakness.

There is a widespread belief that the planemaker and the FAA could have done more to eliminate risk. As a result, I believe the Boeing 737 Max will not be allowed to take off again until technical fixes and additional pilot training takes place.

When the plane is back in the air, airlines will take the view (as they did after the Boeing 787 was grounded for three months in 2013) that the aircraft is deemed safe. Therefore you will not be able to change or cancel your flight without the usual penalties.

If it helps give you confidence: I am looking forward to flying the plane again soon. My usual principle applies: if the captain is prepared to fly the plane, I am prepared to trust to his or her professional judgement. I hope you will be able to feel the same.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder