We flew at Xmas time. Actually on 12/22. I had been wanting to try something and I got my chance. I got some Starbucks gift cards(4) one for each flight attendant. I gave them to them as we boarded. Man you want to talk about being treated like Royalty. We got free drinks(feeling great as we landed), extra snacks and a giant bottle of water which came in handy when we landed in MX and had a 40 min drive to the resort. They were so appreciative.
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More loose bolts were found on some Max 9 by United. 
Thanks for the link—we’re talking about only 4 airlines, and only 2 from the US.
Many use this plane, but few use the false door panel.
Now Alaska says they found some loose bolts, too. 
Smells like a systemic problem.
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I’ve been a faithful Alaska flyer but wow. I don’t think it’s their fault but these planes make up 20% of their fleet and I don’t know if I want to deal with the additional worry of flying on one. I’m not sure how to assess the risk as an ordinary person.
As a structural engineer, I would feel safe once the planes have been inspected and the problems addressed. SO much safer than driving to the airport!
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I rationally know this should be true. Emotionally though? That’s I tough one. If I were booking flights I’d pick another airline this week.
Have a flight scheduled on an Alaska Boeing 737 Max 9 this week. In seat 26! Yeicks. Changed seats. They have been canceling each day, but not until mid-morning of that day. Checking daily, we noted that our flight (and today’s flight) was changed to a 737-900. Great – But they just changed today’s “on time” notification to “cancelled”. It’s the only non-stop from our neck of the woods, and since we’re travelling with a pet, need the non-stop. FRUSTRATING.
Will Alaska allow a no-cost switch to another airline (Delta) if they cannot accommodate?
Other suggestions?
Can you simply cancel the Alaska flight, get an e credit on your account (my older s did this for his family when they had to cancel a trip last summer due to a family emergency) and book with Delta? Delta may be expensive for a last minute booking, but it’s worth it for the safety of your family and pet.
Cost of a direct booking on another airline = 4x the cost of our tickets. We have some time flexibility, but not TOO much. Was surprised they switched to a 737-900 for the rest of this week, then cancelled today’s flight anyway.
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How many of you are flying? Would you consider splitting one family member off to fly Delta with the pet and the others keep their Alaska booking, if the flights would not be too disparate in departure/arrival times (and with a plane change there would be some variability for sure). Recently when DH and I went to ALC, we waitlisted for an early flight (our bags took the earlier flight!) and there ended up being only 1 seat left. We considered dividing our itineraries and one of us going on the earlier flight so as to arrive earlier and be able to go food shopping for the week before everyone else arrived, but we ultimately decided not to. But it was an option. Just a thought. (then again there was no price difference for us).
Sorry I can’t gift articles from our local paper, but hope you can read this excellent article by our local airspace reporter about a mother and her son sitting in row 25 directly in front of the blown out plug door.
Yes, they were injured but apparently not severely enough for the airline to count as injuries, at least in the initial releases by the airline. Shameful.
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Wow, that article gave me goosebumps (and not in a good way). They are very fortunate to have survived, and the mom’s coolness in an emergency was the key factor.
I hope that mother and son get a nice settlement from the airline! I bet they do.
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Really helpful article to understand what happened. I was very confused by the different stories about who was sitting where. I still can’t believe that on a plane with only 7 vacant seats the two right by the panel that flew out were unoccupied. Or was someone in the middle on row 26? The pictures seem to only show someone in the aisle. Anyway, I appreciate the mother sharing her story and cheers to the woman in the aisle seat who put their masks on them.
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Apparently, seats immediately next to the plug door, 26A and 26B were not occupied. Pure luck? Only the isle seat (26C) had someone in it. The boy and his mom were in the row right in front of those seats. Can’t imagine what could have happened to someone in 26A! Even if the person remained buckled in, the sheer force of hurricane wind created by the pressure differential plus objects flying into the hole would have caused a lot of injuries.
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Looks like travel disruption might last for a while. Another excellent article by Dominic Gates:
“On Tuesday a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration suggested the return of the MAX 9 to the skies may take a while.
The FAA confirmed that Boeing on Monday sent out initial inspection instructions to airlines that were inadequate. Boeing will have to revise those instructions and the FAA approve them.
“The safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service,” the FAA said.
Alaska Airlines said Tuesday it still awaits those approved final inspection and maintenance instructions for its fleet of 65 MAX 9s.”
This is an old but good article:
I talked to someone who used to work with Calhoun at a prior company (Calhoun is another GE alum with an accounting degree). They said it wasn’t a surprise that things continue to go badly, and I heard there were rumors Calhoun might be replaced at the beginning of last year, but instead the board extended his contract.
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FAA recommends that airlines inspect door plugs on 737-900ER aircraft. This is a different sub model from the 737 MAX 9, but uses the same door plug (false door) when not configured for high passenger density.