In light of the recent incident with an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9, questions arise regarding the airline's decision-making process. The aircraft, previously flagged for potential pressurization issues, was limited to shorter routes, enabling quick returns to airports if needed. This decision followed the activation of a warning light on three separate flights. However, this cautionary measure didn't prevent the inflight mishap over Oregon, where an exit door plug detached at an altitude of about three miles. Moreover, it raises serious questions about both why this was allowed and why in the world the airline would choose to put its passengers at risk in the way that it appeared to here?
Notably, the warning light had activated on December 7, January 3, and January 4, indicating a recurring issue. During the Oregon flight, the decompression was so forceful that it dislodged the co-pilot's headset and parts of the captain's. While the flight safely returned to Portland without serious injuries to the 171 passengers and six crew members, it is very easy to see a situation in which passengers could've been hurt or killed. As it turns out, miraculously, there were no passengers in the seat directly adjacent to the now missing door plug.
Following this incident, the FAA has grounded a significant portion of the Boeing Max 9 fleet, pending thorough inspections. Both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, the primary operators of this Boeing model in the U.S., are awaiting detailed guidance on these inspections. Boeing is in the process of drafting a service bulletin, yet to be approved by the FAA, for a coordinated response to this situation. All of this has led to air travelers questioning why this was allowed to occur in the first place.
As a rule of thumb, if maintenance does not feel comfortable enough to allow the aircraft to fly over water or long distances then perhaps the airline should ground the aircraft. Instead, we are left with a situation where passengers may be playing Russian roulette due to an airline that appears to put profits over passenger safety.
This is not OK.