Imagine losing someone you love in a plane crash, holding onto hope for years that the company responsible will face real consequences, only to hear they’re getting a pass. That’s the gut-wrenching reality for families of the 346 people killed in the 2018 and 2019 Boeing 737 Max crashes. Last Friday, the Justice Department announced a deal to drop a criminal case against Boeing, letting the aerospace giant avoid a trial for its role in the tragedies. Instead, Boeing will pay over $1.1 billion in fines and promises, sidestepping a guilty plea that could have marked it as a felon. For those who lost daughters, sons, parents, and siblings, it feels like the system just turned its back on their pain.
The crashes—Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302—happened because of a flawed system called MCAS that Boeing didn’t fully explain to regulators. Those planes plummeted from the sky, stealing 346 lives in moments of terror. Back in 2021, Boeing made a deal to avoid prosecution, paying $2.5 billion and vowing to fix its safety practices. But when a door plug blew out on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max last January, it was clear Boeing hadn’t kept its promises. Prosecutors called it a breach, and last summer, Boeing agreed to plead guilty to fraud. Then, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor threw out that deal, upset over how a monitor was picked. Now, a new agreement lets Boeing admit to misleading the FAA, pay a $243.6 million fine, fund $444.5 million for victims, and spend $455 million on safety—without facing a courtroom.
For the families, it’s like reliving the loss all over again. Nadia Milleron, whose bright 24-year-old daughter Samya Stumo died in Ethiopia, can barely contain her anger. “This deal is a betrayal,” she said, her voice cracking. “Boeing’s lies killed my daughter, and now they’re buying their way out of the worst corporate crime I’ve ever seen.” She’s pushing Judge O’Connor to reject this agreement, joined by others who feel it’s too soft. Javier de Luis, who lost his sister Graziella in the same crash, feels cheated too. “Those final moments—346 people, scared, helpless—that’s what Boeing’s actions led to,” he said, his words heavy with sorrow. “How can the DOJ say there’s not enough evidence for a trial?”
Not every family agrees. Over 110 relatives support the deal, exhausted and ready to move on. But for others, like one mother who didn’t want her name shared, it feels like “Boeing’s paying to make us go away.” A trial, they argue, could’ve dug deeper—maybe named names, held executives accountable, given answers about why corners were cut. Instead, this deal feels like a closed door, leaving their grief unanswered.
Boeing’s not out of the woods. Families are still suing, and the FAA’s keeping a tight leash, limiting 737 Max production to 38 planes a month. The company’s image is battered, even as it inks big deals like a recent one with Qatar Airways. But for the families, it’s not about Boeing’s bottom line—it’s about the empty seats at their tables, the birthdays they’ll never celebrate. As they wait for Judge O’Connor to decide on this deal, they’re holding onto their memories and fighting for a justice that feels further away than ever.
