DALLAS -- Some frequent fliers say they aren't worried about safety aboard Boeing's problem-plagued 787 aircraft, while many less seasoned travelers are often unaware what model of plane they're on.
That makes it anyone's guess whether Boeing, or the airlines that use its planes, will pay a price for concerns surrounding the 787. The planes were grounded worldwide Thursday after a battery fire on one and an emergency landing on another after pilots smelled something burning."I'm as excited today to get on a 787 as I was a year ago," says Edward Pizzarello, a travel blogger who has logged four flights on the 787, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner. "Boeing will fix this, and I'll be flying on this plane for many years."Lee Simonetta, a research engineer at Georgia Tech, said he too would hop on a Dreamliner again. He was among the aviation fanatics aboard the plane's first trip with paying customers, an All Nippon Airways flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong in October 2011. It was a time to marvel at a jet made of composite materials that make it lighter and far more fuel-efficient, and at its use of electrical systems to do just about everything.That was before fuel leaks, cracked windshields and overheating batteries gained worldwide attention.Photos of charred battery boxes from the planes popped up all over the Internet. Safety officials around the world took a second look at the planes, and the Federal Aviation Administration grounded 787s in this country -- United Airlines is the only U.S. carrier to fly them, but several foreign airlines use them on flights to and from the U.S.American Airlines has dozens on order.Boeing officials and some frequent fliers say that there are hiccups with just about every new plane, and that the 787 was a particularly bold technological leap over previous aircraft. But will those reassurances satisfy the flying public?Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the Transportation Department and an FAA critic who's now an aviation lawyer, said she would not fly aboard a Dreamliner. "It's very serious. Nobody wants to get on a plane with these things happening," she said.If Boeing and the FAA believe there is something wrong with a few batteries, replacing them with other lithium-ion batteries would be a quick repair, Schiavo said.But if the FAA forces Boeing to use an entirely different battery, it could require redesign work and a new round of regulatory approvals taking, she added."A month ago we had people who were dying to get on this plane," said Blake Fleetwood, president of Cook Travel in New York. "Now they're showing a bit more trepidation."From interviews with more than two dozen travelers in Houston and Boston, it appeared that price, schedule and nonstop service are more important.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
