Airlines bought new engines. The engines don't work. The manufacturers can't make enough of them anyway.
This is like ordering a pizza and the delivery guy shows up three hours late with half a pizza that's also somehow still frozen in the middle. But the pizza costs $40 million and you can't fly to Denver without it.
Airline CEOs are complaining. They paid for fuel-efficient engines that would save them money over time. Classic long-term thinking from an industry that once tried to charge people to use the bathroom. The engines arrived late. Then they broke. Now the manufacturers are saying they can't produce enough replacements because of supply chain issues, which is corporate speak for "we also have no idea what we're doing."
The grass isn't greener. The grass is on fire. The lawnmower exploded. The landscaping company went bankrupt. Everyone is standing around looking at dirt and pretending this was part of the plan.
Passengers are still paying $89 for a ticket to Phoenix and wondering why their flight got cancelled. The answer involves turbine blades and production capacity and vendor relationships. But that explanation doesn't fit on the departure board, so it just says "MECHANICAL" and everyone sighs in unison like a Greek chorus of the damned.
The CEOs thought they were being smart. Invest in new technology. Cut fuel costs. Look visionary at earnings calls. Instead they're stuck with planes that can't fly and a waiting list for parts that stretches into next year. It's the aviation equivalent of buying a sports car that only works on Tuesdays.
The manufacturers promise they're working on it. They're ramping up production. Improving quality control. Strengthening partnerships. All the words that mean "please stop calling us."
Turns out the old engines were fine, but admitting that now would require explaining why you spent billions on new ones that don't work.
Leave a Comment