The FAA ordered the grounding of 171 Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes to run inspections Sunday after an eight-week-old plane had to make an emergency landing with a hole in its fuselage. The National Transportation Safety Board’s chair said it was “very fortunate” that no passengers were seated right next to the fuselage portion that blew out on Friday’s flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
Boeing’s newest jet has been the subject of scrutiny from multiple government agencies for almost two years following two crashes overseas that killed 346 people. It’s the latest setback for the company, which has struggled with production delays and quality issues.
Airlines worldwide have returned some of their grounded 737 Max 9 jets to service, but the FAA’s decision to keep them on the ground could impact their schedules shortly. Boeing’s bestselling plane accounts for over half its global fleet and is used by several other U.S. and international carriers, including United and Copa Airlines.
In the meantime, travelers are reworking their travel plans, and Alaska’s canceled flights are adding up as the day goes on. Lifelong U.W. fan Adam Johnson got an email from the airline at 3 a.m. telling him that his Saturday evening red-eye from Seattle to Austin had been canceled. He could book another flight, but it required him to connect through Las Vegas and spend the night in the airport. He says that when he tried to call Alaska to cancel his original flight, he was kicked off of its customer service line and has been unable to reach anyone since.
Thousands of other travelers had their travel plans upended by Saturday’s cancellations, and more are facing disruptions on Monday. Flight tracking website FlightAware showed dozens of canceled Alaska Airlines flights into and out of Sea-Tac, with many more delayed.
Alaska Airlines’s regional sister carrier Horizon also canceled a handful of flights, with several more delays. The airline has more 737 MAX 9 aircraft than Alaska, operating out of the same terminals at Sea-Tac.
The NTSB’s head said the plane, heading to Ontario, California, from Portland, was returning to a cruising altitude of 16,000 feet when the fuselage panel blowout occurred. The portion of the plane that broke off was in the tail section, which passengers do not usually occupy. The agency hasn’t determined what caused the fuselage to break apart.
