Re: A Boeing Spokesperson said:
The 737MAX flaws revealed that the system Boeing had in place for managing software was inadequate. By definition any software produced under that regime has to be questioned. The fact that these software failings seem to have been found in service rather than in bench test is pretty worrying.
The 777 classic is indeed a sturdy beast, as is any airframe designed and built at the same time or later, because there are standards for that kind of thing. Boeing built it that strong because they were obliged to build it that strong.
They're quite content to also build 737s which, being based on a 1960s design standard, has a tendency to come to pieces in crashes. Also these are exhibiting signs (eg pickle forks and other structural defects) of being less than adequate for today's high cycle usage. They're allowed to do this, and indeed were pressing to remain allowed to do so whilst also designing the 777 classic, because money talks.
So yes, you might have fond memories of the 777 classic but remember it was built by people who even back then, pre merger with MacDonald Douglas, actively refused to apply the same design standards to other aircraft they were building at the same time. That was the mindset of the people building the 777 classic.
It's taken 25 years for those chickens to come home to roost, but Boeing's market share decline is the inevitable consequence. This latest gremlin is simply another nail in the coffin of a company that arguably hasn't been great since the 1950s