Kayak.com gives you the option to sort and filter plane types! It's now one of their most popular features. Lots of people are happy to filter out 737-MAX planes and pay more for other flights.
Who does, Kayak? The airline? I don't know about Kayak but that's not a thing with any airline contract of carriage that I'm aware of. In fact a lot of airlines explicitly say that their ticket does not guarantee particular equipment, seats, etc. Just that the airline will get you from the origin to the destination(s) in the cabin class you paid for.
Under what set of regulations? I only book flights on Airbus planes these days, but would like an extra insurance policy against switching in a Boeing.
Or, it allows consumers to make better informed decisions?
The United app and website also show equipment type under the "details" expansion. You can also filter searches by equipment type. Yes, it can change but it's correct the vast majority of the time.
god forbid Boeing sees a market reaction that is tied to consumers rather than investors when their shoddy worksmanship fails in a catastrophic manner, right?
Yes, but a lot of 737 Maxs are still on order, and if nobody wants to fly in those anymore, airlines will cancel those orders. Boeing still hopes to continue selling these planes, because it's apparently a very lucrative market segment.
There isba deep misunderstanding how aircraft purchases worm. Airlines run the numbers, and as soon as it becomes cheaper to buy a new one the old one gets replaced. Which model they choose depends a lot on their current fleet, switching from A320s to B737s and vice-verca is expensive, takes years and requires significant training of flight and maintenance crews. Only the big ones afford mixed fleets.
Add to that the fact that both, Boeing and Airbus, are fully booked for years to come, and it is pretty clear that the MAX isn't going anywhere as there are simply not enough alternatives to come by. Passengers aren't the ones deciding which planes are bought, airlines and leasing companies are.
There isba quite cynic name for passeneger: self-loading freight, also real freight doesn't complain.
I don't see anyone here misunderstanding any of that. But if passengers refuse to fly Boeing, that changes the numbers quite drastically. And empty fleet is not making money. Switching is expensive, but so is not flying at all, or being forced to fly at reduced rates. If flying with airlines using Airbus is more popular than flying with airlines using Boeing, Airbus airlines will be more profitable, and Boeing airlines will buy less planes. They won't be buying any planes if they go bankrupt.
"Passenger demand doesn't matter" is simply not true. Its effect is indirect, slowed, insulated, but it's still there. At least if sellers like Kayak enable differentiation by plane type.
Airlines are typically repeat buyers of airplanes. If customers avoid Boeing planes enough to hurt business that will affect future purchasing decisions.
It doesn't affect Boeing at all. Both, Airbus and Boeing are booked out for years to come. Airlines are buying those olanes, and quite frankly, passanger opinion doesn't factor into that much, if at all.
It helps Kayak so, more people booking there by selecting a certain model. And the airlines, they can easily price tickets for non-737 MAX flights higher now (they propably don't, but why not?). In the end, it is pointless: planes get swapped out all the time, so there is no guarantee dor the model to be correct. Unless you fly with an airline that has no MAX's in their fleet. In which case this whole Kayak thing is on the same level like vegan vegetables or lactose-free cheese.
Maybe I want to fly a specific model because it is more comfortable than the alternatives. Would I rather fly in a cramped 737 to Hawaii or a wide body airbus? Makes a difference to my comfort!
