Alaska Airlines, the US air carrier whose Boeing 737 MAX 9 jet suffered a midair blowout earlier this month, triggering a nationwide grounding of the model for safety inspections, has confirmed that it has found loose bolts on “many” of the planes in its fleet.
”It makes you mad that we’re finding issues like that on brand new airplanes,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said on Tuesday in an NBC News interview. He added, “I’m more than frustrated and disappointed. I’m angry. This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people.”
Minicucci was referring to a January 5 flight bound for California from Portland, Oregon, that had to turn back after a door plug blew off at 16,000 feet, injuring several of the 171 passengers aboard. The outcome could have been far worse, he said, had the seat next to the door plug not been vacant – one of just seven empty seats on the flight. “We had a guardian angel, honestly, on that airplane.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to the near-catastrophe by grounding all Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets in the country for safety checks. The latest incident follows the temporary banning of the 737 MAX, Boeing’s top-selling airliner, by aviation regulators around the world in March 2019, after crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia killed a combined 346 people. The planes were cleared to go back into service around two years later, following repairs to their flight control systems.
Minicucci said Alaska Airlines will send auditors to scrutinize the quality-control systems at Boeing to ensure that all of the jets it has ordered from the company are safe to fly. He added that the carrier will reconsider plans to buy a newer version of the 737, the long-delayed MAX 10, from Boeing.
Boeing issued a statement to NBC acknowledging that “we have let down our airline customers and are deeply sorry for the significant disruption to them, their employees and their passengers.” The massive defense contractor added that it’s taking steps to get the 737 MAX 9s back into service and improve its quality performance.
Like Minicucci, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is rethinking plans to buy more Boeing jets following the latest safety scare. United also detected loose bolts when it performed safety inspections of its grounded 737s. “I think the MAX 9 grounding is probably the straw that broke the camel’s back for us,” Kirby said on Tuesday in a CNBC interview. He added that Boeing needs “real action” to restore its reputation for quality.
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Apparently not angry enough to hire based on merit.
My final flight is in early March. Chose AA over Delta a week ago. Why?
On AA we fly on an A319. Delta? 737.
Given what TSA & Air Traffic Control are becoming also hastened my decision.
Don’t be overconfident. AA has a large fleet of 737’s of many versions and equipment gets swapped out all the time.
Also, the Airbus aircraft are known to have their own gremlins.
Bolt Lives Matter.
This is obviously an attempt by the far right white extremists to undermine the years of progress that has enabled these bolts to become essential to our core business. This is not the time to turn our backs on our greatest strength. We stand with our bolts. We will not be moved by hate.
Now, step into the machine with your hands up. For your own safety, sir.
Got a few friends that worked on GE fan reverses for jet engines one is a retired top tech and the other is atop tech near retirement. These were new products being assembled and thanks to DEI they say they are very apprehensive about flying !
The younger group of assemblers are on the floor watching videos on their phone while working on these precision jet engine parts most are non whites
Most don’t give a fuck and what they would have been fired for NOTHING IS EVEN SAID !
YOUR WOKE DEI ASSHOLES ON THE JOB !
How much you wanna bet that the Air force tech that destroyed a $25,000,000 jet engine during a test because s/he left a flashlight in it was a diverse person, and will enjoy job offers from Boeing and GE as soon as he or she leaves the Air Force.
Diveristy, equity and inclusion quality control management team delivers predictable results: Loss of quality.
Boeing is committed to a diverse workforce, well diversity that excludes pasty white men.
No longer will Boeing discriminate against hiring people of color as engineers and technicians simply because they don’t fully comprehend maff, because maff is raycist, as are the Jim Crow laws of physics.
Diversity is our strength… right?
https://www.boeing.com/sustainability/diversity-and-inclusion
Has anyone else considered that there may be foreign saboteurs working for Boeing? There are a lot of Chinese immigrants living on the West coast and I am sure Boeing has some sort of DEI, ESG program going. Some of those Chinese foreigners would be happy to help ruin what was America’s best company only a few years ago. Others could be blackmailed by threats of harm to family still in China. Given what’s happening at the border, maybe some are actual agents of the CCP who sneak over with fake ids or get them from here. Boeing could never get away with laying off all Asians but extra security and scrutiny should be in order. We can’t let PC kill us literally or figuratively. The gov’t might also want to give another check on Boeing built defense products.
No. This is the indirect result of Jews in corporate and finance waging war on white people.
Boeing proudly boasts 35% of its employees are of racial minorities.
Oddly, they have had a 35% increase in failures…say Whaaa?
Combined with the DEI infused flight crews, it’s best to either drive or take the train.
For now, at least. If we remain on this trajectory, there will come a time where neither trains nor automobile travel will be safe and available. Stage coaches, anyone?
The President of United also loves to dress for company meetings in full drag.
The WHOLE aviation industry in the US as well as Europe is totally woke and DEI.
Meantime, we had a record number of near-misses last year. There are massive maintenance and quality control issues across the board. The cockpit crews are younger and less experienced as well as the Air Traffic Controllers.
EVERYBODY under 50 years old lacks the experience and wisdom of years of airline and aircraft operation. Oh, and work ethic. Forget about work ethic.
The lack of FAA oversight has been an ongoing problem in the “Tombstone Agency” as they are just another Government cesspool of cronyism and corruption, that gets flushed every four years or so.
As has proven to be the case for decades, many people will have to die before change occurs. Or, perhaps, the deep-state and their Globalist/Elite masters just don’t care.
After all, they fly “private” to protect our atmosphere from Global Warming.
I am reading this seated in a Boeing B737-900ER flying home courtesy of Delta.