Fliers Vow to Boycott Boeing Again After Singapore Airlines Turbulence Death

Boeing is facing renewed scrutiny after severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight injured dozens of passengers and left one man dead, prompting renewed calls for a boycott of the embattled plane manufacturer. Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, a Boeing 777 en route from London to Singapore on Tuesday when it encountered what's known in aviation circles as "clear-air turbulence," a sudden unexpected loss of altitude that injured 23 passengers and nine crew members. Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old British musical theater director, died in the incident. Authorities reported that Kitchen likely died of a heart attack. Officials confirmed that 14 people were hospitalized with minor injuries. Singapore Airlines said that medical personnel and staff were on standby to assist the injured upon landing in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

After the news broke of a rare turbulence-related fatality happening on a Boeing jetliner, some social media users vowed to avoid Boeing jets, citing the company's recent safety issues. On platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), users expressed their renewed concerns. Redditor @usir002 said, "Never in my life been concerned about flying up until this year and the concerns over Boeing cutting corners. I vowed to never fly on a Boeing plane again," echoed by @toskies. Read more: Compare the Best Credit Cards for Travel On X, one person wrote, "I am never flying Boeing again," while another commented, "I'm actually never flying on a Boeing again." Another user added, "When I book a flight in 2024. Nonstop. Aisle seat. Not a Boeing plane. Then recheck number 3. Triple check it's not a Boeing." There is no indication that the incident on the Singapore Airlines flight was a result of a mechanical issue with the plane. Clear-air turbulence is unpredictable and inherently dangerous because it goes undetected by radar, meaning the crew cannot instruct passengers to put on their seatbelts and remain seated. "We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a statement to Newsweek. "We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew." Data from Flightradar24 showed the 777 plunging more than 6,000 feet in less than three minutes, falling to 31,000 feet from its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. It remained at 31,000 feet for about 10 minutes before rapidly descending and landing in Bangkok. Pictures posted on social media showed the plane's floor covered in food from the sudden drop in altitude. Boeing has been embroiled in a series of controversies over the past few years. Though commercial air travel is considered extremely safe, the company is now facing renewed scrutiny regarding its quality and safety standards. Read more: The Best Credit Cards for Airport Lounge Access In the first week of 2024, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a rear door plug mid-flight, which landed in the backyard of a high school science teacher in Portland, Oregon. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded similarly configured Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft for weeks while it investigated. Then in March, a 787 Dreamliner dropped abruptly midair on a flight from Australia to New Zealand, injuring about 50 people. Those incidents followed the twin crashes of 737 Max jets in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, which killed more than 300 people and led to a worldwide grounding of the model for almost two years. In April, a poll conducted exclusively for Newsweek found that three in four millennials' confidence in flying had been shaken by the allegations surrounding Boeing's safety standards. Update 5/22/24 1:30 p.m.: This story has been updated to include a statement from Boeing and to fix a spelling error in the headline.