Boeing speaks out after plane factory workers say they 'wouldn’t fly' on one of its aircrafts

Boeing has responded after a Netflix documentary raised fresh concerns about the aerospace giant.

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, from filmmaker Rory Kennedy, arrives on Netflix today on August 19, and examines the airplane manufacturing company through interviews with current and former employees, journalists, and families affected by the two fatal 737 MAX crashes.

Kennedy previously explored Boeing in her 2022 documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, but said she had no intention of returning to the subject.

That changed after an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 lost a door plug shortly after take-off in January 2024, followed two months later by the death of former Boeing employee and whistleblower John Barnett.

However, one particularly alarming moment highlighted by Kennedy has come from inside a Dreamliner factory.

Boeing says it has introduced new safety and quality measures since 2024 (Robert Alexander/Contributor/Getty Images)

Speaking to The Seattle Times, she said: “You also have scenes in the film, undercover footage inside the Dreamliner factory, with factory workers talking about how they wouldn’t (fly) on a 787. These are the people who make the airplane.”

Kennedy added that she now avoids booking flights on both 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Boeing's response to the claims made in the doc

Boeing has now responded to the documentary, with a spokesperson saying the company had worked to address some of the issues raised, whilst other allegations ‘have been widely reported’ and ‘some remain unfounded claims to this day'.

The spokesperson also pointed to changes made since 2024, including the appointment of a new CEO, a new safety and quality plan and a fresh set of company values.

The new doc examines the airplane manufacturing company through interviews with current and former employees, journalists, and families affected by the two fatal 737 MAX crashes (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

They said: “Boeing employees are holding themselves and others accountable to keeping people safe, speaking up, and doing the right thing,” pointing toward 'improvements in how we work together and deliver quality products'.

'We’re seeing things not only reverting back to how they used to be but actually getting worse'

The filmmaker said whistleblowers contacted her following Barnett’s death, and urged her to revisit Boeing.

She explained: “In the aftermath of his death, a number of whistleblowers reached out to me directly to say, ‘You really have to come back and tell this story because we’re seeing things not only reverting back to how they used to be but actually getting worse'.

"You actually see this in the film: They were compelled to (speak out) because of John.”

Barnett, who worked at Boeing for more than 30 years, had previously raised concerns over production standards involving the 787 Dreamliner.

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing arrives on Netflix on Aug. 19 (Jason Mendez/Stringer/Getty Images)

He died in March 2024 whilst involved in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against the company. The coroner determined his death was suicide, and Freefall does not suggest otherwise.

Kennedy hopes the new documentary keeps pressure on both Boeing and government officials.

'I hope they just right their ways and get back on track'

She said viewers should push ‘to make sure corporations, Boeing specifically but other corporations, too, are being regulated, and that there really needs to be a focus on the public interest.’

Asked whether she could see herself making a third documentary about Boeing, Kennedy said: “I really hope I’m not compelled to do a third. I hope they just right their ways and get back on track.”

UNILAD has reached out to Boeing for comment.