President Trump Thinks That the Boeing 737 MAX Could Use a Rebrand
This morning, President Donald Trump weighed in on how he thinks he can fix the Boeing 737 MAX, via Twitter.
"If I were Boeing, I would FIX the Boeing 737 MAX, add some additional great features, & REBRAND the plane with a new name," he tweeted at 6:29 AM. "No product has suffered like this one. But again, what the hell do I know?"
The latest developments with the 737 MAX haven't necessarily been in Boeing's favor. Just Sunday, American Airlines announced that it would extend cancellations for flights operated by the Boeing 737 MAX through August 19. This coincides with Southwest's recent announcement that it would not be flying the 737 MAXs until August 5. Southwest operates the largest fleet of that aircraft model worldwide.
Trump did not provide further information on what his idea of a rebrand might be, or what "additional great features" he'd add to the MAX. Boeing has not spoken of or hinted at a rebranding of the currently grounded jetliner, which has has two fatal crashes in five months.
However, the president has weighed on the debate personally, even going as far as announcing himself that the airplane would be grounded in the US.
The current POTUS did, at one point, own his own airline. In 1989, he purchased Eastern Airlines' shuttle operations in the Northeast for $365 million and rebranded it Trump Shuttle, flying business travelers on quick hops between New York, Boston, and Washington. During its brief heyday, Trump's fleet consisted of 21 Boeing 727s. He spent $1 million refurbishing each aircraft.
Yet, due to increasing oil prices, the airline had lost over $125 million a little over a year later. By 1992, Trump Shuttle was defunct.
