8 a.m. Pacific, Jan. 25
Final inspections of our 737-9 MAX fleet underway to safely return the aircraft to service
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday, Jan. 24, approved a thorough inspection and maintenance process for the 737-9 MAX aircraft. Alaska Airlines is now performing these detailed inspections of our planes.
Each of our aircraft will only return to service once the rigorous inspections are completed and each aircraft is deemed airworthy according to the FAA requirements. We have 65 737-9 MAX in our fleet. The inspections are expected to take up to 12 hours for each plane.
Following these inspections by our skilled Alaska Maintenance technicians, we expect to bring our first few planes back into scheduled commercial service on Friday, Jan. 26.
At the request of the FAA, our Maintenance technicians completed preliminary inspections on 20 of our 737-9 MAX aircraft two weeks ago. The data we collected was provided to the FAA for further analysis. Those findings informed the FAA’s final orders for thorough inspections of the door plug on each of our 737-9 MAX aircraft. We are now implementing those final orders.
With the first of our 737-9 MAX set to resume flying on Friday, we’ll add more planes back into service every day as inspections are completed and each aircraft is deemed airworthy. We expect inspections on all our 737-9 MAX to be completed over the next week.
We greatly appreciate the FAA’s diligence and commitment to safety to get the 737-9 MAX safely back in the air.
5 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 20
Our Maintenance and Engineering technicians completed preliminary inspections of a group of our 737-9 MAX aircraft as requested by the FAA. We provided the data to Boeing, which will share it with the FAA for further analysis and consultation.
We’re awaiting the next steps based on this collection of new information, including the final inspection orders so we can begin safely returning our planes to service.
The ongoing grounding of the 737-9 MAX continues to impact our operations with all 737-9 MAX paused. This remains a dynamic situation and we greatly appreciate the patience of our guests. We are notifying those whose flights are canceled and working to reaccommodate them. We also have a Flexible Travel Policy in effect.
Alaska has 65 737-9 MAX planes in our fleet of 231 737 aircraft.
10 a.m. Pacific, Jan. 18
Our Maintenance and Engineering technicians completed preliminary inspections of a group of our 737-9 MAX aircraft as requested by the FAA. We provided the data to Boeing, which will share it with the FAA for further analysis and consultation.
We’re awaiting the next steps based on this collection of new information, including the final inspection orders so we can begin safely returning our planes to service.
The ongoing grounding of the 737-9 MAX continues to have a tremendous impact on our operation. We’ve extended the cancellations of our 737-9 MAX flights through Sunday, Jan. 21. This remains a dynamic situation and we greatly appreciate the patience of our guests. We are notifying those whose flights are canceled and working to reaccommodate them. We also have a Flexible Travel Policy in effect.
Each day of 737-9 MAX cancellations for Alaska impacts between 110 to 150 flights, depending on the flight schedule for a given day. Our sister regional carrier, Horizon Air, continues to help get our guests to their destinations by flying some routes that Alaska would normally fly with the 737-9 MAX.
Alaska has 65 737-9 MAX planes in our fleet of 231 737 aircraft.
12:15 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 17
Our Maintenance and Engineering technicians completed preliminary inspections of a group of our 737-9 MAX aircraft as requested by the FAA. We provided the data to Boeing, which will share it with the FAA for further analysis and consultation.
We’re awaiting the next steps based on this collection of new information, including the final inspection orders so we can begin safely returning our planes to service.
The ongoing grounding of the 737-9 MAX continues to have a tremendous impact on our operation. We’ve extended the cancellations of our 737-9 MAX flights through Friday, Jan. 19. This remains a dynamic situation and we greatly appreciate the patience of our guests. We are notifying those whose flights are canceled and working to reaccommodate them. We also have a Flexible Travel Policy in effect.
Each day of 737-9 MAX cancellations for Alaska impacts between 110 to 150 flights, depending on the flight schedule for a given day. Our sister regional carrier, Horizon Air, continues to help get our guests to their destinations by flying some routes that Alaska would normally fly with the 737-9 MAX.
Alaska has 65 737-9 MAX planes in our fleet of 231 737 aircraft.
7:20 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 13
Alaska Airlines began preliminary inspections this weekend on a group of our 737-9 MAX aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring more data from Boeing before approving the manufacturer’s proposed inspection and maintenance instructions that will be used to conduct final inspections on all 737-9 MAX and safely return the planes to service. Up to 20 of our planes could undergo preliminary inspections.
Moving forward
Aviation safety is based on having multiple levels of quality control and safety assurance, much like system redundancies that are built into an aircraft for operational safety. Together, these layers have made the U.S. aviation industry the safest in the world.
Last week’s incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 was an extremely sobering reminder that these layers require continuous strengthening and improvement.
Boeing leadership has publicly said that this incident is the result of a “quality escape.” This week, we engaged in a candid conversation with Boeing’s CEO and leadership team to discuss their quality improvement plans to ensure the delivery of the highest quality aircraft off the production line for Alaska.
We welcome and appreciate the FAA’s recently announced steps to audit and review all safety processes in the production of the 737-9 MAX aircraft, and more broadly at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing’s supplier that builds the fuselage for the planes.
In addition to the FAA’s review and oversight, Alaska Airlines will initiate and enhance our own layers of quality control to the production of our airplanes:
- Our quality and audit team began a thorough review of Boeing’s production quality and control systems, including Boeing’s production vendor oversight, and will partner with our maintenance team on the design of enhanced processes for our own quality control over aircraft at Boeing.
- Starting this week, we will also enhance our own quality oversight of Alaska aircraft on the Boeing production line, expanding our team with additional experienced professionals to validate work and quality on the Boeing 737 production line.
Over many decades, we have cultivated a strong partnership with Boeing. With a commitment to transparency and candor, we are dedicated to working together to uphold the utmost quality and safety of our airplanes for our employees and guests.
6 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 12
Today, the FAA communicated its instructions for preliminary inspections of some of our 737-9 MAX aircraft.
Data collected from these inspections will inform the FAA’s ultimate issuance of a global Method of Compliance (MOC) and the process to complete inspections of the full fleet – a required step to safely return the aircraft to service. Read more from the FAA here.
Alaska has 231 737 aircraft in our fleet. 65 of those planes are 737-9 MAX.
Additional 737-9 MAX flight cancellations through Tuesday
With the grounding of the 737-9 MAX still in place, we’ve made another difficult decision to cancel additional flights that were scheduled with that aircraft.
We’re working as quickly as we can to notify our guests of cancellations through Tuesday, Jan. 16. This equates to between 110-150 flights per day. The decision allows us to give our guests further clarity and begin notification and reaccommodation processes.
More information for impacted travelers can be found at the bottom of this page.
We’ll begin repositioning some of our 737-9 MAX aircraft for inspection
In the coming days, we will begin repositioning designated 737-9 MAX aircraft to our primary maintenance bases. This will allow us to perform the required inspections as soon as the approvals are given. Key points to keep in mind:
- Any 737-9 MAX maintenance flying is authorized and permitted under the FAA’s Emergency Airworthiness Directive.
- These special flight permits are not new or unique. They are a regular activity in aviation.
- Flights are flown by our specially trained functional check flight crews.
- No passengers or flight attendants will be on the maintenance flights.
- These flights will be designated with a four-digit flight number beginning with a 9, such as AS 9834.
Horizon Air helps keep our guests moving
During the grounding of the 737-9 MAX, Alaska’s sister regional carrier Horizon Air is helping to get our guests to where they need to go.
Through Sunday, Jan. 14, nearly 5,000 guests will fly on 90 flights to destinations across our network on a Horizon E-175 jet instead of a 737-9 MAX aircraft they were originally scheduled to be on.
Horizon even recently flew a nonstop flight to Dallas-Ft. Worth – an airport the airline does not usually serve. The airline also added 23 flights to and from Las Vegas for the popular CES conference this week.
10 a.m. Pacific, Jan. 12
As of today, Friday, Jan. 12, Alaska Airlines continues to wait for documentation from Boeing and the FAA to begin inspection of our 737-9 MAX fleet.
We regret the significant disruption that has been caused for our guests by cancellations due to these aircraft being out of service. However, the safety of our employees and guests is our highest priority and we will only return these aircraft to service when all findings have been fully resolved and meet all FAA and Alaska’s stringent standards.
We have made the decision to cancel all flights on 737-9 MAX aircraft through Sunday, Jan. 14, while we conduct inspections and prepare fully for return to service. This equates to between 110-150 flights per day. We hope this action provides guests with a little more certainty, and we are working around the clock to reaccommodate impacted guests on other flights. More information for impacted travelers can be found at the bottom of this page.
As a reminder, three things must be in place prior to beginning inspections:
- A final Multi-Operator Message (MOM) provided by Boeing, providing inspection details for the 737-9 MAX aircraft as approved by the FAA.
- A global Method of Compliance (MOC) published by the FAA with details for approval of operators’ inspection processes to ensure compliance with their Airworthiness Directive. As a party to the NTSB investigation, the FAA works to ensure that inspection details address findings that may have surfaced during this process, even if not yet shared with the public.
- Detailed inspection instructions and processes developed by Alaska Airlines for our maintenance technicians to follow to conduct thorough inspections per the FAA’s specifications.
10 a.m. Pacific, Jan. 10
As of today, Wednesday, Jan. 10, Alaska Airlines continues to wait for documentation from Boeing and the FAA to begin inspection of our 737-9 MAX fleet.
We regret the significant disruption that has been caused for our guests by cancellations due to these aircraft being out of service. However, the safety of our employees and guests is our highest priority and we will only return these aircraft to service when all findings have been fully resolved and meet all FAA and Alaska’s stringent standards.
As of this morning, we have made the decision to cancel all flights on 737-9 MAX aircraft through Saturday, Jan. 13 while we conduct inspections and prepare fully for return to service. This equates to between 110-150 flights per day. We hope this action provides guests with a little more certainty, and we are working around the clock to reaccommodate impacted guests on other flights. More information for impacted travelers can be found at the bottom of this page.
As a reminder, three things must be in place prior to beginning inspections:
- A final Multi-Operator Message (MOM) provided by Boeing, providing inspection details for the 737-9 MAX aircraft as approved by the FAA.
- An Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC) published by the FAA with details for approval of operators’ inspection processes to ensure compliance with their Airworthiness Directive. As a party to the NTSB investigation, the FAA works to ensure that inspection details address findings that may have surfaced during this process, even if not yet shared with the public.
- Detailed inspection instructions and processes developed by Alaska Airlines for our maintenance technicians to follow to conduct thorough inspections per the FAA’s specifications.
We will continue to provide updates as progress is made.
12:45 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 9
We continue to await inspection and maintenance instructions from Boeing and approval for the procedures from the FAA. Until then, the Boeing 737-9 MAX fleet will remain grounded.
When we are able to proceed with the formal inspection process, all aircraft will be thoroughly inspected in accordance with detailed instructions provided by the FAA in consultation with Boeing. Any findings will be fully addressed in a matter that satisfies our safety standards and FAA compliance. The formal inspections will also require documenting all findings and those will be reported to the FAA. No aircraft will be returned to service until all of these steps are complete. The safety of these aircraft is our priority and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA.
As these steps remain pending, we continue to experience disruption to our operation with these aircraft out of service. As of 12:30 pm. Pacific, we have cancelled roughly 109 flights for today due to the 737-9 MAX grounding.
6:50 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 8
We continue to wait for final documentation from Boeing and the FAA before we can begin the formal inspection process.
As our maintenance technicians began preparing our 737-9 MAX fleet for inspections, they accessed the area in question. Initial reports from our technicians indicate some loose hardware was visible on some aircraft.
When we are able to proceed with the formal inspection process, all aircraft will be thoroughly inspected in accordance with detailed instructions provided by the FAA in consultation with Boeing. Any findings will be fully addressed in a matter that satisfies our safety standards and FAA compliance. The formal inspections will also require documenting all findings and those will be reported to the FAA. No aircraft will be returned to service until all of these steps are complete. The safety of these aircraft is our priority and we will take the time and steps necessary to ensure their airworthiness, in close partnership with the FAA.
10 a.m. Pacific, Jan. 8
This morning, Boeing issued a multi-operator message (MOM) which provided inspection details for the 737-9 MAX aircraft, which have been approved by the FAA. Two additional steps must occur before inspections can begin:
- FAA must approve operators’ inspection processes to ensure compliance (called an Alternate Method of Compliance, or AMOC);
- Alaska must develop detailed inspection instructions and processes for our maintenance technicians to follow.
As we await further information from the FAA and work through these important steps, our technicians have prepared each aircraft to be immediately ready for the required inspection when instructions are finalized.
We recognize that additional questions remain about the details surrounding Flight 1282 that we are unable to address at this time. Because this is an active investigation, we must receive permission from the NTSB to provide information about the aircraft and its prior maintenance. We will provide information as soon as the NTSB permits us to do so.
As these steps remain pending, we continue to experience disruption to our operation with these aircraft out of service. As of 8:30 a.m. Pacific, we have cancelled roughly 140 flights for Monday due to the 737-9 MAX grounding.
6:30 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 7
While we await the airworthiness directive (AD) inspection criteria from the FAA and Boeing, our maintenance teams are prepared and ready to perform the required inspections of the mid exit door plugs on our 737-9 MAX fleet.
The 737-9 MAX grounding has significantly impacted our operation. We have cancelled 170 Sunday flights and 60 cancellations for Monday, with more expected. Cancellations will continue through the first half of the week, and we encourage guests with travel plans to continue to check their email and alaskaair.com for updates.
We will continue to share information as we’re able.
2:30 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 7
As we navigate the impacts of the 737-9 MAX grounding on our operation, we have cancelled 170 Sunday flights affecting roughly 25,000 guests. We expect additional significant cancellations through the first half of the week.
We are awaiting further instruction from both the FAA and Boeing to begin the required inspections on the door plug of our 737-9 MAX fleet and will share information as we’re able.
6 p.m. Pacific, Jan. 6
The investigation into what happened on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Friday, Jan. 5, is underway. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has now assumed the lead role in the investigation. Alaska’s safety and technical teams, along with representatives from Boeing, are closely involved in supporting the NTSB.
At this early stage, here are details that we can share:
- As we shared last night, Alaska made the decision to temporarily ground its 737-9 MAX fleet pending inspections which began early this morning.
- Today, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive (EAD), requiring all operators of the 737-9 MAX aircraft to conduct specific inspections before returning the aircraft to service. We are working with the FAA to ensure that our inspections meet their detailed requirements and comply with the EAD, but this process will take more time.
- Our voluntary temporary grounding of our 737-9 MAX fleet and ongoing work to comply with the FAA’s EAD has impacted travel plans for many of our guests. As of 4pm PT today, we have cancelled 160 total flights, affecting roughly 23,000 guests. We are identifying necessary cancellations for tomorrow and expect the disruption to last through at least mid-week. A flexible travel policy is in place for guests to change or cancel their flights. Guests should visit alaskaair.com for rebooking options. We are deeply sorry for the disruption this has caused our guests.
- Eighteen of Alaska’s 737-9 MAX aircraft received in-depth inspections as part of heavy maintenance checks and continued in service today until we received the FAA’s EAD. These aircraft have now also been pulled from service until details about possible additional maintenance work are confirmed with the FAA. We are in touch with the FAA to determine what, if any, further work is required before these aircraft are returned to service.
- The aircraft involved in flight 1282 was delivered to us on Oct. 31, 2023. The part of the aircraft involved in this event is called a plug door – a specific panel of the fuselage near the rear of the aircraft.
- Several guests onboard experienced injuries that required medical attention. All guests have now been medically cleared.
We will continue to share information as we learn more. Thank you to our guests for their understanding as we safely return our fleet of 737-9 MAXs to service.
12:00 p.m. Pacific, Jan 6
Early this morning, our maintenance team began a detailed inspection process in connection with our decision to temporarily ground our fleet of Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Of the 65 737-9 aircraft in our fleet, it was determined that 18 had in-depth and thorough plug door inspections performed as part of a recent heavy maintenance visit. These 18 aircraft were cleared to return to service today.
The inspection process of the remaining 737-9 aircraft is expected to be completed in the next few days. We will provide additional updates on the progress of our inspections.
9:00 a.m. Pacific, Jan. 6
As of this morning, inspections on more than a quarter of our 737-9 fleet are complete with no concerning findings. Aircraft will return to service as their inspections are completed with our full confidence.
We deeply apologize to our guests whose flights have been impacted. Guests whose travel has been impacted can go online to view flight options and rebook travel, place the value of their ticket in their Mileage Plan Wallet for future use, or request a refund.
For Pacific Northwest Travelers: We’ve been receiving many questions from guests traveling to Texas. Flights on Saturday and Sunday from Seattle to Houston are not impacted. Return flights next week are also not affected.
11:42 p.m. Pacific time, Jan. 5
A statement from Alaska Airlines CEO, Ben Minicucci:
At Alaska Airlines, safety is our foundational value and the most important thing we focus on every day. Following tonight’s event on Flight 1282, we have decided to take the precautionary step of temporarily grounding our fleet of 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft. Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections. We anticipate all inspections will be completed in the next few days.
I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way.
We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred tonight, and will share updates as more information is available. The NTSB is investigating this event and we will fully support their investigation.
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. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead.
-Ben
7:55 p.m. Pacific time, Jan. 5
Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure. 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.
