United Airlines says it may investigate alternatives to Boeing airliners when making future purchases.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Tuesday Boeing will have to make changes to live up to its old reputation of quality. He said his company may look to different planes from competitors like Airbus when it comes time to acquire more planes.
United Airlines operates 79 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets, which have been grounded for weeks by the FAA after one of the jets, flown by Alaska Airlines, lost a door panel midflight.
United also has an order out for Max 10 jets, which are an upcoming larger version of the Max 9. But those planes have already been delayed for years.
"I'm disappointed that the manufacturing challenges do keep happening at Boeing," Kirby told CNBC. Now that the Max 9 jets have been grounded, he said, "We're going to at least build a plan that doesn't have the Max 10 in it."
Boeing faces new safety alert on earlier models of 737 jets
The safety alert, which applies to Boeing 737-900ER jets, comes after a newer model was grounded over a dangerous mishap.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal recently acknowledged the effect Boeing's troubles have had on the sector. He apologized to airlines and their customers for the "significant disruption."
"We are taking action on a comprehensive plan to bring these airplanes safely back to service and to improve our quality and delivery performance," Deal said in a statement.
