Last week's frightening incident in which part of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet’s fuselage panel blew out mid-flight, causing the cabin to depressurize and prompting an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon has undoubtedly raised new concerns about the safety of air travel in 2024.
After all, that incident came less than one week after a Japan Airlines flight collided with a Japanese Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, resulting in the Airbus A350 being engulfed in flames.
However, all 379 passengers aboard the Japan Airlines plane were safely evacuated and only a few passengers aboard the Alaska flight were treated for minor injuries.
While safety inspections continue on the Boeing Max 9, with Alaska and United Airlines reporting the discovery of some loose hardware, this latest incident is poised to make one of the safest modes of travel even safer. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded 171 planes in a move that is creating some short-term headaches in regard to flight schedules but will result in safer skies in the long term.
There hasn't been a fatal U.S. airline crash since 2009 and the odds of being in an accident during a flight is roughly one in 1.2 million. In terms of a fatal accident, those odds plummet to one in 11 million. For perspective, travelers' odds of being killed in a car accident are 200,000 times higher.
Additionally, flight attendants aren't just there to pass out snacks and collect your trash. Crews are trained to handle emergency situations of all kinds and in this most recent case, Alaska's team proved up to the task.
Passenger Kelly Bartlett told CBS News that despite the gaping hole at 16,000 feet, the plane felt "under control. The flight attendants helped everyone right away."
"The descent actually felt very controlled. I did not feel like we were going to crash. It seemed like we were going back down to the ground, which is all anyone wanted to do. And as soon as we landed, there were cheers and claps, everyone was relieved. You could feel the adrenaline level was really high, the stress level was really high."
"We didn't have to take an emergency exit, it was just all normal," Bartlett said.
"So while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation," an Alaska spokesperson said in a statement.
Monday, January 15 marks the 15-year anniversary of US Airways Flight 1549 and the "Miracle on the Hudson." At the time, that incident prompted new fears among air travelers who were unaware of the threat posed by a flock of birds. Fast forward more than a decade later and air travel continues to smash records.
Even as gas prices fall, travelers appear confident in commercial air travel and as airlines improve staffing and technology it should only get smoother. In the aftermath of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, it will only be safer.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
