One month after a cabin door panel blew out of a Boeing 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight, nearly all Max 9s are back in the air, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Monday. The agency said that roughly 94% of impacted aircraft—135 of 144 jets—have now been inspected and cleared for service in the fleets of Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the only two U.S. carriers that operate this model of the Boeing 737.
Immediately following the harrowing incident, Alaska Airlines grounded all 65 of its Max 9s. The FAA also issued a directive for all U.S. airlines to ground their Max 9s, forcing United to also cancel thousands of flights over subsequent weeks.
On Tuesday morning, FAA administrator Michael Whitaker testified at a hearing on the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on aviation that his agency approved the investigation process performed on each of the grounded aircraft before returning to service. “Our findings during inspections of those aircraft showed that the quality system issues at Boeing were unacceptable and require further scrutiny,” Whitaker told lawmakers at a hearing on the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on aviation, adding that the FAA is increasing its oversight activities, including capping expanded production of new Boeing 737 Max aircraft and launching an investigation scrutinizing Boeing’s compliance with manufacturing requirements.
Meanwhile, as inspections of the grounded Max 9s have been completed, the aircraft have been reintroduced into service. Alaska Airlines resumed a limited number of flights with Max 9s beginning on January 26. United followed suit the following day.
The three-week grounding has taken a financial toll on the two impacted airlines. On a January 25 earnings call, Alaska Airlines has said it would incur roughly $150 million in lost revenue. United filed an 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission noting that it expects to lose between 35 cents and 85 cents per share in the first quarter of 2024.
Even with Max 9s returning to the air, there are signs that the public may be slow to regain confidence in the aircraft. A recent report from Morning Consult suggests that Boeing’s reputation has taken a significant hit. In a survey of nearly 170,000 people, net trust for the aircraft manufacturer—the share of people who trust Boeing minus those who don’t—dropped 12% among U.S. adults after the Alaska Airlines incident.
Since 2019, Kayak, an online travel booking website, has allowed users to filter by aircraft models when searching for flights. The company reported a 1500% surge in filter usage in the week immediately following the door panel blowout.
Other airfare booking engines also allow customers to see which model of aircraft is assigned to a flight before making a purchase. On Google Flights, for example, after plugging in their desired route and travel dates, consumers can use the down arrow to the right of each flight option to view the aircraft assigned to the trip.
When booking directly on an airline’s website, travelers can click on flight details to see which aircraft model is assigned. Both Alaska and United offer some flexibility for reserved passengers who have a change of heart after booking a flight.
Alaska Airlines eliminated change and cancellation fees for all fares except basic economy in 2021. This means it’s possible to change an existing booking without paying a penalty. If the new ticket is more expensive, the passenger will only pay the difference in fares.
And three years ago, United Airlines became the first legacy airline to permanently eliminate change fees—a feature highlighted in an ad campaign set to debut on Super Bowl Sunday.