Originally Posted by
Maninthebar
For the record, it was BOEING who decided that no extra training was required in order to fly the MAX.
For the record, the airlines clearly communicated that pilot training costs would be part of their purchasing decision. Boeing (and Airbus) want to sell airplanes. Airlines want to operate them as cheaply as they can. The same motivations to drive down costs that influenced the decisions at Boeing which resulted in the MCAS debacle are the same motivations that existed at the airlines to drive down their labor costs whether by arbitrage (i.e. outsourcing, union busting, short-term "independent contractor" employment agreements), lobbying for rules that allow for lower experience levels, minimizing investment in training, etc. All aided and abetted by regulatory agencies that are more beholden to the industries they regulate than the traveling public. So when a poorly designed aircraft intersects with a poorly prepared crew, why should we be surprised that the result is tragedy?