With stories about the Boeing 737 Max 8’s potentially fatal flaws dominating the news, some consumers may start to lose trust in the safety of air travel. As this video shows, that’s what happened in the 1930s when the Hindenburg airship plummeted in flames on a journey from Germany to the U.S. Although it wasn’t the first nor the deadliest airship crash, footage of the burning Hindenburg shocked the public and destroyed almost all confidence in the budding airship industry.
Questions:
- What role did news footage of the Hindenburg disaster play in destroying the public’s confidence in airships?
- Do you think the issues surrounding the Boeing 737 Max 8 will cause many consumers to lose confidence in air travel? Why or why not?