After a portion of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner’s fuselage blew out in midair last Friday and caused an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Max 9 planes until they are thoroughly inspected.
Every Max 9 with a door plug, or a panel where an emergency exit would be if the plane were configured for the maximum seat capacity, has been removed from service, the F.A.A. said on Thursday. The Alaska Airlines incident involved a door plug that aviation officials believe may not have been properly installed.
Since the incident, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, which also has the Max 9 in its fleet, have canceled more than 1,500 combined flights.
It’s unclear how the grounding and inspections, which have been slow moving, will continue to affect flights in the coming days, as these and other airlines grapple with concerns over a workhorse aircraft.
The Max, which comes in four variants, numbered seven through 10, is the most popular plane in Boeing’s history, accounting for a fifth of all orders placed since 1955, company data shows.
Here’s what passengers should know about the Max 9 airplane, how airlines are responding to the grounding, and how to navigate upcoming flight delays or cancellations.
Which airlines fly the Max 9 aircraft?
About 215 Boeing Max 9 airplanes are currently in service globally, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider. United Airlines operates 79, the most of any airline, and Alaska has 65 — their combined fleets represent about 70 percent of the Max 9 jets in service.
Other operators relying on the Max 9 include Panama’s Copa Airlines, Aeromexico, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai and Icelandair.
Each Max 9 can transport as many as 220 passengers, depending on the seat configuration.
Are airlines continuing to fly the Max 9? What is the status of the inspections?
United and Alaska have revised initial statements they issued, which said that they’d cleared some of their Max 9 airplanes. Both airlines have grounded their entire 737 Max 9 fleets, in order to carry out the detailed inspection required by the F.A.A.
Both Alaska and United said on Monday that they had discovered loose parts during preliminary investigations. As of Thursday, the two carriers were still waiting on Boeing and the F.A.A. to provide guidance on how to inspect the planes to ensure that they are safe to fly.
Alaska said in a statement on Friday that all flights on 737 Max 9 planes would be grounded through Sunday.
How will the emergency affect passenger travel in the coming days?
Each day since the incident, more than 15 percent of Alaska’s flights have been canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. The Max 9 makes up 20 percent of its fleet. United’s daily cancellation rate this week has remained under 10 percent.
Alaska has encouraged passengers with upcoming flights to stay tuned for email and website updates.
United, Alaska and Copa all said they were working with affected passengers to offer alternative travel options. Passengers, however, say they’ve encountered a litany of troubles: faulty self-service options on airline apps and websites, extremely long hold times to reach customer service by phone, automatically rebooked flights that don’t make sense, and little in the way of compensation such as lodging or free meals offered to passengers stranded at the airport after a sudden flight cancellation that was within the control of an airline.
I’m flying in the coming days. How do I see if I am booked on a Boeing 737 Max 9?
Travelers can typically find information about their plane type when they book their flights online, either during the seat-selection process or elsewhere on the airline’s website.
Passengers may also be able to find the aircraft type on an airline’s mobile app. For Alaska, this is available in the app’s “Details” section. Flight tracking websites, such as FlightAware, also have plane information if users search for specific flights using the flight number.
However, even if passengers know in advance what plane they are scheduled to fly on, this is always subject to change. Airlines swap out aircraft at the last minute, depending on factors such as weather and logistics.
What can passengers do if they are affected by a cancellation? Can they change itineraries?
Alaska has issued a “systemwide flexible travel policy” allowing passengers scheduled to travel through Jan. 13 to cancel or change their flights without incurring fees, because of the Max 9 inspections. The airline is encouraging travelers to use the Alaska website or app themselves, rather than calling the airline’s customer service line (waits are long).
For those with upcoming flights, Alaska is directing passengers to check their flight status online. If your flight was canceled, you can get a refund or a future travel credit.
United has a flight waiver allowing passengers scheduled on Max 9 flights through Jan. 15, including those that aren’t yet canceled, to change or cancel their flights without incurring extra fees, if they fly before Jan. 23. Full refunds are also available. Flight status updates can be found online.
Delays and cancellations brought on by the Max 9 situation are considered within airlines’ control, a United spokesman said, which means affected passengers are entitled to compensation.
What is the history of Boeing Max planes?
Boeing Max aircraft have been dogged by problems in recent years. Within a span of several months in 2018 and 2019, two Boeing Max 8 airplanes crashed, killing hundreds of passengers and crew. All Max aircraft were then grounded around the world for nearly two years, while company engineers worked to identify the problem.
Callie Holtermann and Niraj Chokshi contributed reporting.
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