Why Alaska and United flights continue facing significant cancellation rates
Passengers flying with Alaska and United Airlines have faced widespread disruptions as numerous flights have been canceled this week, likely due to the grounding of Max 9s and ongoing FAA investigations United Airlines, in particular, seems to be facing additional challenges
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines passengers have been impacted by numerous flight cancellations this week.
Following an incident in which a piece of the fuselage blew off an Alaska Airlines flight, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded over 150 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft. This incident occurred last Friday, resulting in a large hole in the side of the plane and causing damage to the seats and headrests. The plane was carrying 177 people and was flying at 16,000 feet after departing from Portland, Oregon.
Both United and Alaska Airlines, the two largest US carriers operating the Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft, continue to face ongoing challenges. On Friday, United had to cancel 9% of its operations, while Alaska Airlines canceled 21%, as reported by flight data tracker FlightAware.
In a statement on Wednesday, Alaska Airlines announced the cancellation of all flights using the 737-9 MAX aircraft until Saturday, January 13, resulting in approximately 110-150 flights being affected per day.
Both Alaska and United Airlines have reported finding loose hardware or bolts in the assembly of door plugs on their Boeing 737 Max 9s, the same part of the plane that flew off during last week's Alaska flight. As a result, the FAA has grounded the affected Max 9s for inspection for several days. Neither airline has indicated when flights on those planes will resume.
Max 9s Grounded
The FAA's decision on Saturday to ground 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft was prompted by the installation of a "mid-cabin door plug." This particular model was the same type of Boeing plane involved in the Alaska Airlines blowout incident.
The FAA has mandated that the planes undergo emergency inspections, taking approximately four to eight hours per aircraft. As a result, the planes will remain grounded until the FAA provides further details on the required inspections, which are still under review by Boeing.
Alaska Airlines is still waiting for documentation from Boeing and the FAA before they can begin inspecting their 737-9 MAX fleet, according to the latest update on Wednesday. The airline is also collaborating with Boeing to investigate the events that occurred on Flight 1282. Despite the disruptions caused by cancellations, Alaska Airlines prioritizes the safety of their employees and guests and will only return the aircraft to service once all issues have been fully resolved and meet FAA and Alaska's strict standards.
Alaska has introduced a flexible travel policy, allowing guests to modify, cancel, or rebook their flights in the event of a cancellation. United Airlines reported the cancellation of 167 Boeing 737 Max 9 flights on Wednesday and anticipated further cancellations on Thursday pending final approval for the inspection process.
The airline announced on Thursday that an additional 175 Max 9 flights have been canceled. To prevent 35 more cancellations, they will be using other planes instead. United has the highest number of Max 9s compared to other carriers. The airline stated that since they started preliminary inspections on Saturday, they have discovered issues related to installation in the door plug, such as bolts needing further tightening. They assured that their Tech Ops team will address these findings to ensure the safe return of the aircraft to service.
FAA investigation
FAA on Thursday said it is opening an investigation into Boeings quality control due to the failure of the door plug.
The FAA stated that the in-flight blowout on Alaska Airlines 1282 was unacceptable and must not occur again. The investigation will specifically examine whether Boeing neglected to ensure that its completed products met approved design standards and were safely operable in compliance with FAA regulations.
Boeing stated on Thursday that it would fully cooperate with the FAA and the NTSB in their investigations. In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun acknowledged that the door plug failure was a serious lapse in its manufacturing and quality control processes.
Calhoun explained to CNBC that the fuselage plug blew out, emphasizing that this kind of mistake should never happen. He also expressed confidence in the FAA's efforts to inspect and ensure that all airplanes are in conformance with the proven design.
Jennifer Homendy, the Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, informed CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that the fuselage plug which detached from the plane during Friday's flight and was found in an Oregon backyard on Monday holds crucial information for the investigation. According to Homendy, the recovered piece is "quite a lot" and "really was the missing piece" in the inquiry. The NTSB's investigation is independent from the FAA's.
A class action lawsuit was filed last Thursday in Washington state against Boeing on behalf of the passengers on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from last week.
According to the lawsuit, "Boeing is accountable for the safety of design and maintenance instructions, as well as ensuring the ongoing airworthiness of the aircraft."
More troubles for United
United had a challenging 2023, with the airline forced to cancel numerous flights during the summer, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded due to a major service disruption. In addition to adverse weather conditions, many of the issues were the result of human error.
Contributors to this report include CNN's Marnie Hunter, Forrest Brown, Paradise Afshar, Elizabeth Wolfe, Gregory Wallace, Pete Muntean, and Chris Isidore. United CEO Scott Kirby attributed the issues to the FAA and insufficient staffing at airline control centers, however, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who oversees the FAA, countered by pointing out United's struggles compared to other US carriers.
