Bloomberg: Boeing problems caused the largest increase in ticket prices in two years

Bloomberg reports these figures with reference to US government data. The agency clarifies that the monthly price increase was the largest since May 2022. The travel company Amex Global Business Travel predicts an 8.5% increase in prices. ticket prices on the New York-Los Angeles route during the peak summer season.

Flight prices on the Seattle-San Francisco and Chicago-Las Vegas routes will increase by 18% and 9.6%, respectively, during the first half of the year.

Boeing is “fully focused on implementing quality changes” to its production system and delivering “high-quality aircraft that meet all regulatory requirements,” but multiple government inspections are significantly slowing production.

American United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, as well as Ireland’s Ryanair, told the agency they were cutting flight schedules and looking for alternatives to the Boeing 737 ahead of the busy summer tourist season.

At the same time, most of the planes of Airbus, Boeing’s main competitor, are sold out before the end of the decade, so “the airlines simply have nowhere to turn.” The European manufacturer, like the American one, is trying to return production to pre-pandemic levels.

On January 5, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 lost a door seal shortly after takeoff from Portland, causing the cabin to depressurize. The plane made an emergency landing in Portland and none of the 177 people on board were injured.