FAA Grounds All Boeing 787 Dreamliners Pending Safety Check of Lithium Batteries

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Cue ignorant right wingers to blame unions in 3....2...

Former Lurker on January 16, 2013 at 4:00 PM

I remember when it was Lithium laptop batteries that caught on fire on planes, not the planes themselves.

Will in Seattle on January 16, 2013 at 4:00 PM

In Boeing's defense, the emergency chutes on that ANA flight worked pretty well yesterday

SuperSteve on January 16, 2013 at 4:09 PM

See, outsourcing works!

Teslick on January 16, 2013 at 4:11 PM

Look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787_…

Instead of building the complete aircraft from the ground up in the traditional manner, final assembly would employ just 800 to 1,200 people to join completed subassemblies and to integrate systems.[31] Boeing assigned its global subcontractors to do more assembly themselves and deliver completed subassemblies to Boeing for final assembly. This approach was intended to result in a leaner and simpler assembly line and lower inventory,[32] with pre-installed systems reducing final assembly time by three-quarters to three days.[33][34]

I wonder how much that played a role here.

Joe Szilagyi on January 16, 2013 at 4:20 PM

Here's a cell phone video someone took of non-union workers in South Carolina working on the wiring...I think you can see the problem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdL3_83KZ…

Supreme Ruler Of The Universe on January 16, 2013 at 4:27 PM

I wonder how much that global supply chain prompted other nations and airlines to buy this airplane.

on January 16, 2013 at 4:43 PM

Hah, sounds like someone's got their nuts in a vice with their contract negotiations. Boeing can't afford a labor dispute at this point.

zivilisierter Wurm on January 16, 2013 at 7:33 PM

@8, for some reason, possibly due to the fact that their arms have been twisted into pretzels, the engineers decided to suspend their contract dispute during this unpleasantless.

sarah70 on January 16, 2013 at 10:24 PM