Boeing has issued a public response after factory workers in a new Netflix documentary declared they would not fly on the 787 Dreamliner aircraft they help build.
The aerospace giant’s statement came after the release of Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, a documentary from filmmaker Rory Kennedy, 55, that premiered on Netflix on August 19. The film features undercover footage shot inside a Dreamliner factory where employees discuss their refusal to fly on the 787. Kennedy told The Seattle Times: “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 the 737 MAX and the 787 Dreamliner.
A Boeing spokesperson responded to the documentary’s allegations, stating that the company had worked to address some issues raised. The spokesperson said other allegations “have been widely reported” and “some remain unfounded claims to this day.” The company pointed to changes implemented since 2024, including the appointment of a new CEO, a new safety and quality plan, and updated company values.
The spokesperson continued: “Boeing employees are holding themselves and others accountable to keeping people safe, speaking up, and doing the right thing,” while referencing “improvements in how we work together and deliver quality products.”
Kennedy said whistleblowers contacted her following the March 2024 death of former Boeing employee John Barnett, 62, urging her to revisit the subject despite her 2022 documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. She explained in an interview: “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’.”
Kennedy elaborated on the whistleblowers’ motivation: “You actually see this in the film: They were compelled to (speak out) because of John.” Barnett had worked at Boeing for more than 30 years and raised concerns over production standards involving the 787 Dreamliner. He died in March 2024 while involved in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against the company. The coroner determined his death was suicide, and Freefall does not suggest otherwise.
The filmmaker expressed hope that the documentary would maintain pressure on both Boeing and government regulators. 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.”
In the viral moment that helped spark Kennedy’s return to the subject, an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 lost a door plug shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon, on January 5, 2024. The incident occurred when a panel covering an unused emergency exit blew out mid-flight at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage. Federal investigators later determined that four bolts meant to secure the door plug had not been replaced after maintenance work at a Boeing factory. The National Transportation Safety Board found that Boeing factory workers felt pressured to work too fast and were asked to perform jobs they weren’t qualified for, with only one of 24 people on the door team having prior experience removing such plugs.
Kennedy said she hopes the documentary’s impact means she will not need to make a third film about Boeing. She told interviewers: “I really hope I’m not compelled to do a third. I hope they just right their ways and get back on track.”
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is expected to discuss the company’s production restart and certification timeline for the 737 MAX 10 during upcoming earnings calls, with the Everett factory hiring workers for a new production line.