I found it shocking that the "safety" device needed was an "extra" to the "base model" of the plane?
What was Boeing thinking - and what was the purchaser thinking? Both of them...……I would prefer the airline say "Look, if you want pay X amount for a ticket, we have the deal for you! Go on "airplane base model" for cheap! If you are willing to pay X + Y for a ticket, then we can put you on the full model including the safety attributes."
Really!? I would like to assume that the airline would only offer safe planes and charge what they need to charge to be a profitable business. People then can decide whether to fly safely or stay grounded until they save up enough to fly safely? Why would Boeing agree to a purchasing company to not opt for a safety device when the risk of them (Boeing) going bankrupt due to lawsuits following a crash are high?
Sorry, rambling but this was so preventable (as 100% of such mishaps usually are).