After a door plug blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9, and the plane quickly got on the ground back in Portland, the airline provided money to passengers. They are each receiving a refund for their flight and $1,500.
- This is being framed as ‘how much their trauma was worth’ with people complaining that the amount is low.
- But there will certainly be lawsuits, and passengers may wind up with much more… from someone.
- It’s not really meant as compensation for the ordeal people went through. And is Alaska Airlines even responsible for that, anyway?
When the cabin depressurized as a result of an gaping hole in the plane’s fuselage, crew helped secure passengers and make sure everyone was safe – belted and with oxygen, including for lap infants. Pilots got the plane down to breathable altitude quickly and back on the ground to safety. Nobody was seriously hurt.
When the wall of the plane just breaks off mid flight @AlaskaAir pic.twitter.com/pMWhpiHmFY
— Kyle Rinker (@Kyrinker) January 6, 2024
Everyone on board should be grateful to the airline for keeping them safe in the face of harrowing circumstances. It seems weird, even, to threaten a lawsuit against Alaska Airlines!
We don’t have a final report on what happened. We do know that the door plug came off, and that inspections of other similar aircraft have revealed loose bolts that create the risk of similar incidents. It seems likely to be more subpar work from Spirit Aerosystems, and poor supervision from Boeing.
Alaska Airlines is treating that flight, and others on the aircraft, as controllable cancellations. That means they’re responsible for accommodating and re-accommodating passengers. Mechanical issues are usually controllable (‘the fault of the airline’) but the plane has been grounded by the FAA. When flights are cancelled due to FAA (such as due to the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization) that’s usually not controllable (and therefore not the fault of the airline). It seems they’re going above and beyond.
The $1,500 is meant to cover any immediate passenger needs while we learn more about what happened, and actual harms are assessed. For instance, there’s a passenger who lost a shirt, and a couple of passengers who are out iPhones now. The funds are to cover “incidental expenses” and do not appear to be offered in exchange for waiving future claims.
When US Airways 1549 went down in the Hudson River, passengers on board were given top tier Chairmans Preferred status for a year. One year of status seemed too little after what they’d been through, but top status back then meant a lot more – in 2009 a 100,000 mile flyer with US Airways was pretty much assured of being upgraded on every domestic flight. Surely passengers ought to be given MVP Gold 100K status? I kind of think they ought to be given lifetime MVP Gold status.
The criticism of ‘just $1,500’ doesn’t seem fair to me, though. What about you?
$1500 will do for a start. But the ultimate penalty must be large enough to discourage future malfeasance. Whichever individuals are responsible for those door plugs, if it is shown that they deliberately cut corners and knowingly took the risk, should be reduced to penury. Alaska shouldn’t bear the blame, since they purchased the planes believing they were fit to fly.
I would wait until the final report before thinking about what is “fair” compensation. IMO, the difference between fair and unfair lies within what Alaska and Boeing may or may not have known about this issue.
@ Gary — I find the offer of $1,500 to be insulting and far from adequate.
All I can think is how important it is to remain buckled, even after reaching altitude.
Considering Alaska knew there were pressurization issue with the aircraft and they chose to fly it anyway I would lean heavily toward substantial compensation. Alaska can deal with Boeing on their own. Just like the airlines did when they grounded their aircraft due to the MCAS crashes.
I was thinking $100k each
$1,500 is a start although some passengers may have had collateral damage greater than that. The blame game has no resolution at this time. I find it hard to believe that there is no inspection procedure on the plug door, so maybe more information will come out about that. When I buy a new car, I check a number of things, including the operation of the doors and under the hood. When I buy a used car, my checking is more extensive and sometimes includes a mechanic. Do airlines just fuel and fly new aircraft without an extensive inspection? AA seems good at ignoring warnings if they go away. I see no reason to absolve any of the parties involved with this incident, including the FAA and their mandated procedures.
The heads of the mechanics and inspectors on a silver plate would be fine with me! Hey Boeing, Skilled labor isn’t cheap, Cheap labor isn’t skilled! KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT WITHOUT A UNION! I’ve worked for a Non-union supplier for the C-17 while on layoff from Boeing, Personally I’ve argued with inspection about how some weld assemblies were being built because I was part of the first article team for the C-17! A non union shop will threaten your job if you speak up!
In respect to US Airways Flight 1549 setting down in the Hudson River…
While those passengers must be forever grateful to the expert abilities of Chester Sullenberger and crew, does Top Tier Chairman Status for a year mean anything at all to those who were/are not business travelers? Seriously, unless their jobs/financial futures were dependent upon it, I wonder how many of those passengers really had the stomach to get on an airplane in the next year.
Sorry ~
*Chesley Sullenberger*
@KenD … Outstanding : “skilled labor isn’t cheap ; cheap labor isn’t skilled” . Excellent . Thumbs-up !
The flood of migrants at the border might result in a big dumbing down of everything .
1500 compensation is what Boeing and/or Alaska thinks each life is worth; definitely not enough for thr traumatic event that unfolded due to negligence. I would sue for the amount that would have cost Boeing to develop a new airline instead of ‘upgrading’ a old version of the 737. Boeing thinks they saved money but is causing more headaches and problems now. The amount that would have cost them to develop a new airline should be split between this incident and that of the 2 crashes.
I think Alaska is going to be hurting from knowing there were concerns about the aircraft to the point where it set limits on where it could fly. That is likely to cause them problems as it should.
And clearly Boeing screwed up.
Is Gary trolling us again? A mere $1500 is an insult and of course Alaska Air (not to mention Boeing) should be sued; they had previous knowledge of this risk before the accident occurred
The kid sitting next to it should be offered permanent high status to them and their caretaker who was with them. That would at least help them be comfortable with flying again. Maybe some other cool stuff, and absolutely every passenger’s therapy expenses should be indefinitely paid without limits of how long either or making them cheap out on quality.
And as already mentioned, THIS IS WHY YOU REMAIN BUCKLED WHEN SITTING!
It’s also another reason to sit on or slightly in front of the wing, because that’s never coming off of a flight you’ll live through anyways.
I’d be immediately filming too, with my 360° camera as well. Not for social media, but for the value to the FAA and investigations. (Donation, not sell, just using the opportunity to help.)
Accept nothing, sign nothing, retain counsel.
The Boeing 737 series reminds me of the movie “Weekend At Bernie’s”. This aircraft is dead. Bury it and create a new aircraft from a clean sheet of paper! Look at the success of the Bombardier C-Series/Airbus A220. It’s a fantastic jet. Look at the Airbus series aircraft. They are quiet, efficient and comfortable. Instead of creating a “Boeing 757NG”, Boeing keeps propping up the 737. It’s amazing the rise and fall of Boeing Aircraft Company. It all started with allowing McDonnell-Douglas executives run the company…into the ground. (no pun intended!)
Do the people that had their phones and shirt sucked out get more than $1500?
Very important to see the actual language. If it promises further communication and hints of additional compensation, then $1500 can be very nice. It could cover an expensive new phone lost.
With US1549, passengers got an immediate check and a larger check if a waiver was signed.
H2oman nailed it. I’m sure Boeing will be on the hook for a large sum, but Alaska isn’t without fault here. The fact that the sensor was alerting them to an issue and their response was “ah well, we’ll keep flying this aircraft just won’t approve it for ETOPS routes” shows they’re very guilty/negligent as well
I could be mistaken here, however, it has been my understanding that Boeing as the manufacturer is responsible for delivering a SAFE Aircraft to the Airlines. My further understanding is that the Airline receiving said Aircraft is fully responsible for a thorough inspection of all parts and and operations of the Aircraft prior to placing the Aircraft in service. There was talk of a warning light coming on prior to this event. A WARNING Light, not thoroughly and completely traced as to the cause? These things should have all been inspected and corrected immediately prior to that Aircraft ever leaving the ground. Enough blame and responsibility here. And yet eve more “Loose Bolts” found at Boeing, United and Alaska? Hmmmm!
If Hertz rents me a Toyota that has bad brakes and I crash and it’s later found that the brakes had a defect, I’m suing Hertz, Toyota, and the manufacturer of the brakes.
Sue everyone and let the courts decide liability. The same should be done here, sue anyone who could be remotely involved in this situation and let it play out from there.
Kudos to AS for going above and beyond the minimum, I’d say, and ESPECIALLY for landing everyone safely! That’s by far the most important aspect that everyone should remember; the FA’s and pilots on this flight did everything right given the situation, and AS backed them up 100%. Some will deserve more compensation, like the “boy” nearest the window, or the guy with the injured foot, etc but overall this is a pretty fair start. AS is handling this like a champ (treating all flight cancellations as controllable, for example) and I will certainly pay a premium to fly them going forward for doing that.
For those criticizing the mechanics, false alarms are a thing. Also, for this particular issue, it would have been impossible to test for on the ground. Even with a depressurization chamber that could replicate the conditions of 16k feet while on the ground (which doesn’t exist at airline hangars, AFAIK), they would not have seen the door fail. It had to be exposed to BOTH extreme pressure difference AND the significant wind and vibrational forces of actual flight in order to fail. That’s not to say the mechanics did everything right; I wouldn’t know that as I’m not one. But the idea that was supremely obvious to the point of negligence, and not just a false alarm, is not particularly well supported by evidence, IMHO.
It’s tough to be an airline. I think the airline largely did the best they could under the circumstances. The real failures here were at Boeing, which never should have passed this plane through QA/QC, and the subcontractors doing shoddy work over there.
The amount of respect and admiration for AS is disgusting here. IMO, AS is more at fault for this incident than maybe even Boeing. AS knowingly flew a plane after receiving three cabin pressurization indicators on previous flights, then they failed to timely due a full inspection and instead simple reset the indicator, and finally they decided not to fly on ETOPS routes (e.g., HI) just in case the plane had a catastrophic failure. Instead, AS should have grounded this plane and done a thorough maintenance check.
I’ve been a G100K MVP on AS for years (and G75K MVP prior to that) – this is my last year. I haven’t stepped foot on an AS plane in months. Their customer service has gone to the pits, their operationally unreliable, and frankly – unsafe. AS deserves to pay for this incident, just like Boeing will. Other than the pilots and FAs on this flight, AS did almost everything wrong.
Personally I’d rather be bumped for the 1500 payout credit etc
than sucked out of a plane losing my shirt and having an iPhone land in somebody else’s hands
Once upon a time considered Alaska pre pandemic to be an outstanding airline
now see them as nothing more than a greedy dangerous bunch of *hores
I wont be stepping on their planes anytime soon
They once ran a very good program and have gotten far worse since joining One world
They have crashed planes in years past and the fact they let these planes fly knowing their was or may have been issues says everything
Not a fan of Alaska or their high pricing on award and revenue tickets
Same old stuff. Profits over safety. This model fits Boeing to a T as well as the airlines. From defective parts to no bolts in place, a catastrophe is coming soon. A criminal investigation needs to be opened against Boeing, etc al before the next crash happens.
It’s a decent start. More cash from presumably Boeing/Boeing’s insurer, plus status and miles from AS should follow. If I’d been on the flight, I’d believe I’d be excited to have a story to tell, although there’s no telling if PTSD might surface later. Offering to pay for counselling/therapy as needed should also be provided. Everyone on board will have been affected differently.
@Tom: that is the correct answer.
Anyone who takes the initial offer gets rocked in these situations.
$1500 is on par with an overbooked situation. Hardly enough for the negligence seen here.
sure, is $1,500 a bit low? But, you know what is actually lower? Dying.
Alaska can certainly provide more money, and should. Maybe $10,000 each. But I’d be glad to know that we had 2 QUALIFIED pilots who got that plane down immediately and everyone literally walked off.
Just my 2 cents.
The ignorance from the comments is stunning. $1,500 was immediate cash for incidental expenses. You lost a phone or some keys or something and need to cover the replacement costs. It’s not a payoff or settlement if they’re not expecting a release. The fact that people can’t see the nuisance is striking and why we can’t have reasonable discourse these days.
Not all passengers are well off, or have insurance on their fancy credit cards. A lost phone could be a hardship for someone and $1,500 now can help replace it immediately.
US Airways gave $5,000 quickly per person for luggage and personal belongings that were damaged, destroyed or tied up with investigators so people could get what they needed. But that was a water landing and people were supposed to abandon their belongings.
$1,500 seems reasonable to cover immediate costs since this is not a settlement of a claim or compensation.
I am uneasy about ultimate massive pay-days of 6 or 7 figures for incidents such as this as some here are suggesting. Of course it is very much the American way to reduce every inconvenience or slight down to bucketloads of dollars, with lawyerly enablers there ready to help for a healthy slice of the largesse.
Just imagine; your 2024 cost-of-living crisis waved away like magic, probably your entire home mortgage too if you feel so inclined! All due to a scary airline emergency that lasted 26 minutes, with no injuries or fatalities.
There has to be a more creative and moral way of handling this incident, rather than reducing it to a Vegas-style superjackpot, don’t you think?
Gary — is it a commonly held belief/standard operating procedure for airplanes that show pressurization issues to be allowed to fly? That’s what I found most disturbing about this incident, that Alaska and their maintenance crew knew there was an issue but still chose to fly it. Since I’m not an airplane engineer of any kind, all I’m imagining is a red blinky light that screams: PRESSURIZATION FAILURE, and the crew looking at it and shrugging their collective shoulders. “Eh, we get those all the time, and they mean nothing. It’ll be fine.”
If that is indeed the case, then this PRESSURIZATION FAILURE light needs to be fixed, because it’s basically “the boy who cried wolf” in real life. And that is really kinda scary…
@Glenn are you high or are you just seeking attention with your comment? You write as if this is no big deal. Can you imagine how many people will be traumatized by this event? A DOOR BLEW OFF a plane climbing through the air. I guarantee you’ve never met a person a day in your life that has ever experience such.
There will probably be folks who will never step foot on a plane again because of this incident but it certainly won’t diminish their need to travel, they’ll just have to go about it some other way and it will probably cost them more time and money.
There are certainly folks who will probably never want to sit in or near an exit row ever again because of this. There could be long term affects for those involved so for you to try and reduce this down to just a money grab makes you the biggest jackass to comment on this post.
The amount of money isn’t because someone is trying to get rich, I’m sure most would have like to have never experienced this incident. The amount of money is supposed to be a deterrent for idiots like Boeing who chooses to cut corners and put the lives of others in danger so that they can continue to enrich themselves.
Not only that but when pieces fall from their crap ass plane, it has to land somewhere. Luckly it hasn’t come through the roof of the home of unsuspecting folks….yet.
So sure, if those who had to go through this horrible experience rings the cash bell of Boeing, Alaska, and anyone else who is determined to be liable, THEN SO BE IT.
@jamesb2147
The pressurization can be tested on the ground through a switch in the cockpit and then using a handheld sensor. In fact a Boeing 737 (Helios Airlines) crashed after a maintenance person left the switch in manual after testing for an air leak. This was just Alaska being lazy with a new aircraft.
Two comments,
Why is Boeing’s CEO not being held to account? His repeated failures need to be addressed by firing.
Why did Alaska Airlines continue to fly the aircraft with a pressurization warning light active? I certainly hope this is not a industry wide practice.
@2808 heavy~
Much of what you say is valid, but the fact remains that the mentality of many is to take the opportunity to turn this incident into a superjackpot windfall, with, as I say, the more than willing enablers, the lawyers.
If, as you say, the substantial (cumulative) passengers payout from Boeing that is being urged by all should happen, but as a massive fine by the FAA, or whichever authority can do it.
Passengers on that flight can take whatever legal action they desire ( let’s set a low bar) with a court deciding what is appropriate, not the court of public opinion.