Look Out: Boeing 737 Max 9 Aircraft Are Headed Back to the Sky
After a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet was involved in Alaska Airlines's now-infamous door plug blowout, it didn't take long for inspectors to discover loose door plug hardware on a number of 737 Max 9 planes owned by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. Many Max 9 jets were grounded as Boeing was grilled for their dangerous lapse in quality control. On the ground, many passengers wondered when (or even if) the compromised jets would be returned to service.
Well, it turns out that these planes are going to be returned to service much sooner than any of us expected. After rigorous rounds of inspections by airline mechanics, some of the grounded Max 9s are expected to return to service as soon as today.
Last night on X/Twitter, CBS Evening News broke the news that Boeing's disgraced 737 Max 9 jets would start re-entering service after Alaska Airlines and United Airlines performed newly-approved inspections on the aircraft. The door panels on several of Alaska's and United's Max 9 jets were found to have been poorly installed with loose bolts, which likely led to the depressurization incident on Alaska Airline Flight 1282.
Briefly, some suspicion turned to Spirit Aerosystems, the Witchita, Kansas-based company that originally installed the door plugs on the Max 9s. However, according to The Seattle Times, an anonymous whistleblower reported that Boeing mechanics removed the door plug for fuselage repairs and re-installed them improperly. After the anonymous report was released, Boeing shut down their production line on Thursday for a "safety stand-down" to discuss their quality control issues.
While Boeing was responsible for installing the door plugs, the airlines have had to deal with the consequences. CBS Evening News reported that Alaska Airlines alone lost at least $150 million during the grounding of their Max 9 jets. However, after Alaska and United's mechanics repaired the door plug issues and re-inspected the plane, many of the grounded jets have been cleared for takeoff once more.
That said, not all customers are too pleased by this quick turn-around. To assuage these fears, both United and Alaska have said they won't charge change fees for passengers who want to move off of a Max 9 flight to a different plane.
How To Tell If Your Next Flight's on a 737 Max 9
Right now, you might be one of those passengers who's not willing to get back on a 737 Max 9 jet, and if you've got a flight coming up soon with Alaska or United, this probably isn't the news you wanted to hear. So how can you check what model your plane is ahead of time so you can make an informed decision?
According to NPR, Alaska and United are the only two American carriers of the 737 Max 9, and both airlines openly provide aircraft information for each flight on their websites. For Alaska, you can find your aircraft's type under the "Details" tab when booking on their website, or under "Flight Details" on your customer reservation if your trip's already booked. For United, the model plane should be visible in the details during the booking process or on your flight reservation page. If you're on a 737 Max 9 and don't want to be, you can take advantage of these airlines' amnesty policies to change without an upcharge.
Hopefully, the repairs performed by the airline mechanics will have ruled out any further danger, and travelers can fly with confidence. Still, I can't fault anyone whose faith in Boeing is too severely shaken to trust the 737 Max 9 right now.
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