After part of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 exploded in mid-air minutes after the plane took off from Portland, Oregon, on January 23. On September 5, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded about 170 Max 9 planes, prompting airlines that rely heavily on the planes to cancel thousands of flights and inconvenience many passengers.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday approved inspection and maintenance procedures for the planes, paving the way for the grounded Max 9 planes to fly again.
The airline said it plans to resume flying the Max 9 this week, and Alaska Airlines began using the plane again on Friday with a flight from Seattle to San Diego. Here's what passengers should know about the plane and their rights if they want to avoid flying on it.
Which airlines use Max 9?
Of the 215 Boeing Max 9 planes flying around the world, United Airlines operates 79, the most of any airline, and Alaska has 65, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider. Its combined fleets represent about 70 percent of the Max 9 aircraft in service.
Other operators relying on the Max 9 aircraft include Copa Airlines Panama, Aeromexico, Turkish Airlines, Flydubai and Icelandair.
Airlines in general Share detailed information About all the aircraft in their fleets on their websites.
When will airlines resume flying Max 9 aircraft?
Alaska He said in a statement Final inspections, which take up to 12 hours per aircraft, are underway. The airline said it plans to return “the first few aircraft” for flights scheduled for Friday.
United said in a statement that it is preparing the Max 9 aircraft to return to service starting Sunday. United Airlines spokesman Josh Freed said the planes “may be used as spare parts” on Friday.
Cuba, which has grounded 21 Max 9 aircraft, said in a statement that it would gradually restore the canceled flights starting Thursday and return to its full schedule on Sunday.
How do I know if I have a reservation on Max 9?
Travelers can usually find information about their aircraft type when booking their flights online, either during the seat selection process or elsewhere on the airline's website.
Travelers may also be able to find the aircraft type on the airline's mobile app, in their booking details after they have booked. For Alaska, this is available in the Details section of the app. Flight tracking sites, such as FlightAware, also contain aircraft information if users search for specific flights using the flight number.
But this is not a guarantee. Even if passengers know in advance which aircraft they are scheduled to travel on, this is always subject to change. Airlines replace planes at the last minute, depending on factors such as weather and logistics.
What if I don't want to fly on a MAX 9?
Both United and Alaska have issued flight waivers due to Max 9 inspections that allow passengers to cancel or change their flights without incurring fees. Alaska waiver It applies to flights through February 2. “Then, guests can contact our reservations team and we will place them on a different flight at no additional charge, including our Saver fares,” an Alaska spokesperson said.
United's waiver is for flights through January. 28.
Airlines have different policies covering cancellations and refunds, which depend on factors such as when you book, how far in advance you want to cancel, and the type of fare you purchased. Once the Max 9 waivers expire, passengers will not have the same rights to rebook or receive penalty-free refunds for flights they choose to cancel on their own.
For future bookings, Kayak has created a new filter that excludes a maximum of 9 trips. This often means booking on an airline that doesn't use planes. But on certain routes with a limited number of carriers, that may not be an option. For example, Alaska is the only carrier flying nonstop between Anchorage and Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. The airline often uses the Max 9 aircraft on this route, According to FlightAwareFlight tracking website.
But experts point out that it may not make sense to avoid planes that are subject to strict inspections.
“It's not clear or logical why anyone would avoid the newest planes examined in the skies,” aviation analyst Robert W. Mann Jr. said, stressing that the Max 8 had resumed flying several years after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.
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