The unfortunate set of circumstances surrounding the loss of both Lion Air Flight 610 and
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 led to the immediate grounding of the advertised ‘incredibly fuel efficient’ Boeing 737-MAX. The side-effects of the decision to ground such flights led to delays and
cancellation of orders. Companies with entire Boeing fleets and a heavy reliance on the proposed
cost-savings in an ultra-competitive industry thereby made their shareholders aware that identified
future revenue generation was now on hold indefinitely. Results indicate that investors identified
this reliance, but also, the subsequent negative polarity and subjectivity of social media response
is found to have significantly influenced the share price of airlines with no fleet diversification, and
subsequently, no reputational diversification.