Alaska Airlines and United Airlines travelers can continue to expect flight disruptions and cancellations following a January 5 incident on Alaska, in which a door on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 plane detached mid-flight.
The two airlines are the most frequent fliers of the MAX 9, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report, citing data from aviation analytics company Cirium. In January, United had about 8,000 flights scheduled with the MAX 9 and Alaska had about 5,000, according to the report.
According to a January 8 statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which is supporting the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its investigation of the incident, the MAX 9 aircraft "will remain grounded until operators complete enhanced inspections, which include both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners. Operators must also complete corrective action requirements based on findings from the inspections prior to bringing any aircraft back into service."
Alaska and United ongoing disruptions
According to flight tracking website FlightAware, Alaska canceled 143 flights by midday today, January 8. The airline canceled 165 flights yesterday and 163 on Saturday, the day after the incident. United cancelled 228 flights by midday today. It canceled 260 flights on Sunday and 125 on Saturday, FlightAware shows.
In a January 8 statement, Alaska noted ongoing operational disruption amid federal investigation and inspection of the incident and said there are questions that it is unable to address at this time but will do so when the NTSB permits it to do so.
"As these steps remain pending, we continue to experience disruption to our operation with these aircraft out of service," Alaska said in the statement.
United said in a January 6 tweet on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that it has temporarily suspended service on select MAX 9 aircraft to conduct FAA inspections and that it is working with impacted customers to find alternative travel options. It advised travelers to check its website or app for flight status and access to travel assistance resources.
What to do if you booked a flight
Expect long wait times on each airline's customer service line but do visit their websites to see your options. Alaska's site says it offers flexibility within the first 24 hours of booking, for example. United's site includes details on refunds and customer care.
Experts advise that if you have a flight booked with Alaska or United — or any airline — keep an eye on your flight tracker and email as most airlines will send notifications of delays and cancellations.
You can also visit the Department of Transportation Airline Customer Service Dashboard to compare refund and reimbursement policies of the 10 biggest U.S. airlines.
