Major airline heads to talk with Boeing on its plan to fix issues

ARLINGTON, Virginia: The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that since a panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines jetliner in January, the heads of major U.S. airlines will meet with Boeing this week to hear about its strategy for fixing quality-control issues.

Boeing CEO David Calhoun is not expected to meet with the airline officials, but the plane maker offered to send its chairman, former Continental Airlines CEO Lawrence Kellner, and other board members instead, the paper added.

At an investor conference this week, Boeing's chief financial officer Brian West said that the slowdown in aircraft production would cost the company between US$4 billion and $4.5 billion during the first quarter ending on March 31.

"We put the customers in a tight spotthe slowdown has impacted us, and it has impacted them," West said.

"We have ongoing, frequent communication with Boeing, which is not new and will continue," a Southwest spokesman said.

Boeing's manufacturing issues have slowed deliveries of planes that carriers were counting on for their operations.

The plane maker told Southwest to expect 46 new planes this year instead of 79, which will force the airline to reduce its planned schedule, said the airline, which has an all-Boeing fleet, last week.

Because the increased scrutiny on Boeing is likely to further delay the launch of a planned new, larger Max model, United said it is considering buying Airbus planes instead.