Low-cost airlines are unlikely to dump the Boeing 737 MAX
The two fatal accidents involving the Boeing 737 MAXX in five months have left airlines with an expensive problem: balancing passengers’ lack of trust in the Boeing 737 MAX carrier versus the cost of cancelling orders and/or reconfiguring their fleet. In their recent research in the INFORMS journal Organization Science, INFORMS member and INSEAD professor Henrich Greve, with colleague Vibha Gaba, have found that although successful airlines are generally ahead on the safety front, less profitable airlines are more likely to respond to aviation incidents by selling off aircraft and buying those perceived to be more reliable.