Alaska Air CEO Says Boeing Quality Is Improving Under New Leader
www.bnnbloomberg.ca

... Alaska Air Group Inc.'s top executive said quality processes at Boeing Co. are beginning to improve, nearly a year after a frightening in-flight accident at the carrier sent the planemaker into crisis.

"We're holding the quality bar extremely high on Boeing," Alaska Chief Executive Officer Ben Minicucci said in an interview with Bloomberg Monday. "Are they where they need to be? No, but we are seeing an improving trend in those quality processes. They're making a ton of changes."

Alaska employees are in Boeing's factory every day, overseeing the aircraft assembly process, Minicucci said, noting that the facility in Washington state is only a short drive from Alaska's Seattle headquarters. The executive met recently with new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Alaska holds monthly meetings with the planemaker, in addition to reviewing quarterly reports from an independent Boeing audit team.

Ortberg "has a good grasp of the issues that are there and he's going to push hard to make the changes that are required," Minicucci said.

The carrier has been intertwined with Boeing's tumultuous 2024 after a door-sized panel flew off an airborne Alaska 737 Max plane in January, drawing widespread attention, prompting temporary aircraft groundings and putting a spotlight on Boeing's manufacturing processes. Minicucci was a vocal critic of the planemaker in the immediate aftermath, saying he was "angry" and "disappointed" in Boeing. ...