Bay Area Flights Canceled, Delayed In Aftermath Of Boeing 737 Blowout

SAN FRANCISCO — Dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at Bay Area airports Monday as the fallout from the Alaska Airlines mid-air blowout on a flight headed to California on Friday continued to wreak havoc on travel.

Federal investigators grounded dozens of Boeing 737 Max 9 planes after a section of fuselage blew out Friday on an Alaska Airlines flight bound for Ontario International Airport in Southern California.

Alaska Airlines and United are the only U.S. airlines that currently fly that specific model of the 737, with Alaska's fleet of Max 9s numbering 65 and United's at 79.

On Sunday, Alaska Airlines canceled 170 flights across the country, affecting about 25,000 customers. Additionally, significant cancellations are expected to continue for the rest of the week, and travelers planning to fly in and out of Bay Area airports are advised to check for delays. By Monday morning, the airline confirmed an additional 140 canceled flights.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, 66 flights were delayed and 58 canceled Monday heading to or from San Francisco International Airport. That figure included 39 United Airlines flights and 16 Alaska Airlines flights.

At the San Jose Mineta International Airport, 31 flights were delayed and eight canceled as of Monday morning, including six Alaska flights. Two Alaska flights were canceled at Oakland International Airport.

In a statement provided to Patch, United said it expected 200 cancelations across the nation Monday as the airline worked with federal regulators to inspect its entire fleet of Max 9 aircraft.

"Service on United's Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft remains temporarily suspended while it conducts inspections required by the FAA," a United spokesperson said Monday. "We're continuing to work with the FAA to clarify the inspection process and requirements for returning all MAX 9 aircraft to service. We are working with customers to reaccommodate them on other flights and in some cases have been able to avoid cancellations by switching to other aircraft types."

On Monday afternoon, the Associated Press reported that United discovered loose bolts and other "installation issues" related to the door plug during inspections on some of its planes since Saturday.

In all, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded about 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes Saturday, including all of those owned by Alaska and United, with plans to resume flights once the planes were deemed safe. The FAA estimated that the inspections would take between four and eight hours per aircraft.

In the meantime, the FAA announced the discovery of the plug covering an unused exit door that blew out of the Alaska Airlines flight moments after it took off from Portland Friday in a terrifying ordeal that left a gaping hole on the side of the plane. The plug was found in a residential backyard, and the discovery is considered key to understanding what caused the blowout, according to FAA officials.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters the plug was found in the backyard of an Oregon schoolteacher named Bob.

"We are really pleased that Bob found this," she said at a news conference on Sunday.

There were signs of trouble before Friday's near-disaster.

According to CBS News, Homendy said the same plane experienced three pressurization warnings on the cockpit dashboard lights over the last month. Homendy cautioned that the pressurization light might be unrelated to Friday’s incident in which a plug covering an unused exit door blew off the Boeing 737 Max 9 as it cruised about three miles (4.8 kilometers) above Oregon.

The warning light came on during three previous flights: on Dec. 7, Jan. 3 and Jan. 4 — the day before the door plug broke off. Homendy said she didn’t have all the details regarding the Dec. 7 incident but specified the light came on during a flight on Jan. 3 and on Jan. 4 after the plane had landed. Alaska ordered additional maintenance to look at the light, but it was not completed before Friday's incident, she added.

“We plan to look at that more and we’ve requested documentation on all defects since delivery of the aircraft on Oct. 31," she said.

Alaska said the plane involved in the flight was delivered on Oct. 31, 2023. The series of events and narrowly avoided catastrophe prompted calls for increased oversite.

Rep. Norma Torres, D-Ontario, sent a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker demanding answers about how the agency and Boeing will address any safety issues brought to light by Friday's occurrence.

"This incident endangered the lives of 177 souls on board Alaska Airlines flight 1282 and the thousands of others who may be in harm's way on similar planes or by whose travel plans were disrupted by the precautionary groundings that Alaska Airlines has taken," Torres wrote. "America has long held the record of having the safest airspace and flight protocols in the world. That said, Boeing's track record, along with the FAA's safety oversight in recent years, has raised serious, warranted concerns for the flying public."

Torres is a senior member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, which oversees government funding for federal transportation programs.

Alaska Airlines officials have been working to address safety concerns in the aftermath of the highly publicized incident.

"Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure," the airline said in a statement Friday. "The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members. The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority, so while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation. We are investigating what happened and will share more information as it becomes available."

A video shot by a passenger and shared on TikTok shows a hole in the plane where a window would normally be.

"It was really abrupt. Just got to altitude, and the window/wall just popped off and didn't notice it until the oxygen masks came off," passenger Kyle Rinker told CNN.

United Airlines also suspended service on its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes pending inspections, and was working to accommodate affected passengers. As a result, local Alaksa Airlines and United Airlines flights have are being impacted.

A flexible travel policy was in place for guests to change or cancel their flights.

Lauren Alba, director of executive communications for Los Angeles World Airports, which operates LAX, told City News Service that five Alaska Airlines flights and eight United flights were affected Sunday.

Spokesman Mike Christensen of Hollywood/Burbank Airport told City News Service that the airport had seen no cancellations or delays as of Sunday morning. A spokeswoman for Long Beach Airport told CNS that Alaska was not one of its carriers and the airport was not impacted by the issue as of Saturday.

Representatives for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines told CNS that their companies do not use 737-9 planes and their operations would not be affected.

Eighteen of Alaska's 737-9 MAX aircraft received in-depth inspections and continued in service Saturday until the airline received the FAA's order. Those aircraft were then pulled from service until details about possible additional maintenance work were confirmed with the FAA.

No serious injuries were reported aboard the Ontario-bound flight, which took off from Portland International Airport, although Alaska Airlines later said several passengers "experienced injuries that required medical attention. All guests have now been medically cleared."

Seattle-based Boeing issued the following statement: "Safety is our top priority and we deeply regret the impact this event has had on our customers and their passengers. We agree with and fully support the FAA's decision to require immediate inspections of 737-9 airplanes with the same configuration as the affected airplane. In addition, a Boeing technical team is supporting the NTSB's investigation into (Friday's) event. We will remain in close contact with our regulator and customers."

Shares of The Boeing Co. tumbled 9% at the opening bell Monday, the first day of trading since the incident occurred. Shares of Alaska Airlines slid 4% and Spirit AeroSystems, which builds the fuselage for Boeing’s 737 Max, plunged 14%.

Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci apologized to the passengers aboard the Ontario-bound flight.

"My heart goes out to those who were on this flight. I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants," Minicucci's statement said. "We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead."

The FAA order says it was "prompted by a report of an in-flight departure of a mid cabin door plug, which resulted in a rapid decompression of the airplane. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the potential in-flight loss of a mid cabin door plug, which could result in injury to passengers and crew, the door impacting the airplane, and/or loss of control of the airplane.

"The FAA is issuing this AD because the agency has determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design."

So far, the inspections have turned up no reports of further issues.

The National Transportation Safety Board has assumed the lead role in the investigation.

City News Service, the Associated Press and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.