Alaska Airlines

Boeing Shake-Up Sees Departure of 737 Max Unit Head

Boeing Shake-Up Sees Departure of 737 Max Unit Head

Boeing announced on Wednesday a leadership shakeup in its commercial airplanes unit. The move comes on the heels of the mid-air blowout of a door plug last month from a 737 Max 9 jet.
The head of the airplane maker’s 737 Max program, Ed Clark, is leaving the company with immediate effect, Stan Deal, the unit’s CEO, announced in a memorandum to employees.
The shakeup comes as the Chicago-based company is under …

Flight Attendants at Multiple U.S. Airlines on Picket Lines to Demand Better Contracts and Working Conditions

Flight Attendants at Multiple U.S. Airlines on Picket Lines to Demand Better Contracts and Working Conditions

Some passengers wondered if they would be able to fly when they arrived at one of 30 major U.S. airports where flight attendants were picketing. What they saw wasn’t a walkout but an informational.
Tuesday is Worldwide Flight Attendant Day of Action and the flight attendants were not on strike but on picket lines to make a point.
The informational campaigns come just as approximately two-thirds of flight attendants, namely those at …

FAA Tells Airlines to Check Door Plugs on a Second Boeing Aircraft Type

FAA Tells Airlines to Check Door Plugs on a Second Boeing Aircraft Type

On the heels of a serious incident involving an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, the Federal Aviation Administration is recommending that flight operators check another model of Boeing aircraft.
On January 5, 2024, a 60-pound “door plug” blew out from a nearly new Boeing 737 MAX 9 in flight at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage.
The statement was issued Sunday night and told operators of the Boeing …

FAA Puts Boeing 737 Max 9 Return to Service on Hold. CEO Admits Error, Says Mid-Air Door Blowout ‘Can Never Happen Again’

FAA Puts Boeing 737 Max 9 Return to Service on Hold. CEO Admits Error, Says Mid-Air Door Blowout ‘Can Never Happen Again’

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that Boeing’s instructions as to how Alaska and United airlines should check their Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft were insufficient and that the airplane maker would have to revise them..
The move will delay the manufacturer’s effort to get the jet back in the air after a panel known as a plug in one of Alaska’s planes blew out during a flight last Friday.
The …

The Perfect Storm: Severe Winter Weather and Boeing 737 Max 9 Grounding Leave Tens of Thousands of Travelers Stranded on Busy Travel Weekend

The Perfect Storm: Severe Winter Weather and Boeing 737 Max 9 Grounding Leave Tens of Thousands of Travelers Stranded on Busy Travel Weekend

The combination of severe weather and the aftermath of an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight late Friday, where a section of the Boeing 737 Max 9’s fuselage dislodged from the aircraft while in flight, brought a good part of the U.S. airspace system to its knees on Saturday.
A winter storm continues to move through the Northeast and heavy, wet snow from the storm has snarled traffic in some areas.  …

FAA Orders Airlines to Ground Some Boeing 737 Max 9 Jets After Midair ‘Incident’

FAA Orders Airlines to Ground Some Boeing 737 Max 9 Jets After Midair ‘Incident’

The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday ordered U.S. airlines to ground  some of their Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft until they are inspected.
The move comes on the heels of an incident in which one of those planes lost a chunk of its fuselage while in flight with what was described as “an extremely loud pop.”  The jet did land safely after diverting back to its departure airport.  It also comes …

Alaska Air Grounds Fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 Aircraft After Section of Fuselage Blows Out

Alaska Air Grounds Fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 Aircraft After Section of Fuselage Blows Out

Alaska Airlines said it had grounded its fleet of Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft after one of its flights had to return to Portland International Airport for an emergency landing after a midair pressurization problem apparently blew out a chunk of the plane’s fuselage.
None of the passengers or crew members was seriously injured in the incident.
“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so …