Following Friday’s
incident aboard an Alaska Airlines flight—in which part of a Boeing
737 Max 9 jet’s wall blew out in mid-air, rapidly depressurizing the cabin
and requiring an emergency landing—the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued
an emergency airworthiness directive (EAD).
Departing from Portland,
Oregon, for Ontario, California, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282—flown aboard a 737 Max 9—suffered the
“in-flight departure of a
mid-cabin door plug”
as it was taking off on Friday. Fortunately,
the 171 passengers and six crew members on board were returned safely to the
Portland airport after a rapid cabin decompression.
The FAA’s mandate
meant that 171 of these aircraft were grounded on Saturday for comprehensive
inspections, which means they’ll be taken out of service until cleared to
return—which, with inspections requiring roughly four to eight hours per plane,
could take days.
Potential
Flight Disruptions
In light of this,
airlines operating this model aircraft are warning passengers with upcoming
trips about potential flight disruptions, and dozens of flights have already
been impacted. Several major global airlines operate the 737 Max 9 model aircraft,
although only select planes have been grounded under the FAA order.
PHOTO: United's new fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX 9. (Courtesy United Airlines)
Among U.S.-based
carriers, this includes Alaska
Airlines and United Airlines, while Aeromexico,
Air Canada, Copa Airlines and Icelandair all use Max 9 planes to fly to the
U.S., The
Washington Post reported. Other major U.S. carriers, such as American Airlines
and Southwest Airlines, operate
the smaller 737 Max 8 model instead, which faced its own set of
challenges a few years back.
United Airlines
has the highest number of these aircraft in service as part of its fleet,
numbering 79 total. For Alaska Airlines, the 65 Max 9s it currently operates
constitute approximately one-fifth of its overall fleet. In a statement
issued Saturday, United said that it had “temporarily suspended service on
select Boeing 737 MAX 9” planes to perform the proper inspections.
Alaska said 18 of
these planes had already been cleared to return to service on Saturday, but
later reported
that they had been grounded again after the FAA order was instituted.
Meanwhile, United said that 33 of the aircraft in question had already passed
inspection on Saturday.
Will Your
Flight Be Affected?
Travelers wondering
whether their upcoming flights might be canceled can often find aircraft specifications
listed on flight search platforms like Google Flights or within their reservation
confirmation details. However, even if your flight wasn’t scheduled aboard a 737
Max 9, it could be impacted as carriers reassign planes to cover affected
routes.
It’s also worth noting
that aircraft designations can vary in form. The affected model is the Boeing
737 Max 9, but it might alternatively appear as 737 Max-9 or 737-9. Also note
that the Max 9 is different than the Boeing 737-900, an earlier generation 737 that’s
not impacted by the current grounding.
Affected airlines are already apprising customers of the possibility that their
flights could be delayed or canceled during the coming days. As of recent
reports, Alaska Airlines had canceled approximately 160 flights on Saturday,
affecting around 23,000 travelers. According to tracking website FlightAware, United
Airlines had axed over 100 flights by Saturday evening.
How Are
Airlines Handling It?
Alaska has
responded to the situation by offering customers impacted by the 737 Max 9 grounding
(as well as the winter
storm Ember in the Northeast) with a Systemwide
Flexible Travel Policy, which allows travelers to change their flights
scheduled through January 8 without incurring penalties (provided travel takes
place by January 20). They won’t even
pay a fare difference when rebooking in the same cabin as the original
reservation. There’s also the option of canceling your trip altogether, in
which case you’ll receive a credit certificate for future travel.
United has not
implemented such a waiver, but said in its statement, “We are working directly
with impacted customers to find them alternative travel options.” Of course, travelers
whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed by the carrier retain the
right to refunds, with the Transportation
Department’s online dashboard serving as a resource for further guidance.
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