by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 1:25 PM ET, Wed January 17, 2024
Alaska Airlines’ CEO, Ben Minicucci, shared a video update with customers on January 17, 2024, following the terrifying incident on January 5, when the door panel of Alaska Airlines flight 1282 blew off during a flight, leading to cabin depressurization, an emergency landing and a subsequent grounding of all Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA).
While no one was hurt, the incident was serious and led to the grounding of 171 of the same aircraft across the U.S. and its territories. Each plane is required to undergo a 4 to 8-hour investigation to ensure proper safety. Several planes have since
reported similar defects that led to the initial incident: loose bolts.
As Minicucci explains in the video message, Alaska Airlines immediately grounded all its Boeing 737-9 MAX planes following the initial incident, ahead of the FAA’s overarching Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) grounding the planes of the same make.
“We have 65 Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft, which makes up about twenty percent of our fleet. Since Alaska Airlines and the FAA have grounded these aircraft, that means we are canceling between 110 and 150 flights every day,” said Minicucci in the update.
“We will return these aircraft to service only when all findings have been fully resolved and meet the stringent standards of Boeing, the FAA and Alaska Airlines.”
“With respect to the cancellations, I’ve asked our team to give guests as much advance notice as possible, and our reservations team is working around the clock to re-accommodate people on other flights. To all who have been impacted by these disruptions,
I am sorry.”
Minicucci did not give a specific time frame for when the aircraft will return to service. Inspections began on January 13, and the reports by Alaska and other airlines will be sent to the FAA and Boeing, who will then offer solutions to return the aircraft
to service. Minicucci promised greater quality control standards for Boeing’s future Alaska Airlines production line.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are also currently investigating Boeing for the mishap.
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