After a mid-air blowout earlier this month, the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners were grounded, leaving many travelers with concerns about their safety. However, Alaska Airlines has recently resumed a limited number of flights with its Max 9s on Friday, making it the first time passengers have been carried on these planes since the incident. United Airlines also plans to follow suit on Sunday, although they may use them as spare planes on Friday or Saturday, according to a spokeswoman.

It is worth noting that Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are the only two U.S. airlines that operate the Boeing 737 Max 9 model. This particular model gained widespread attention when a door plug blew out just minutes after takeoff on a flight, resulting in a gaping hole that exposed passengers to potential danger. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has outlined a detailed process that airlines must follow to inspect and repair the panels called door plugs, which were responsible for the incident on Alaska Airlines flight 1282 on January 5th.

The door plugs are used to seal holes left for extra doors on the Max 9, which are necessary when a higher number of seats requires additional exits for safety reasons. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker expressed confidence in the safety of the planes as long as the new inspection process is followed. The agency has conducted a thorough review of the incident and gathered information about inspections on door plugs from 40 other planes, further supporting their confidence in the aircraft's safety.

But why were the planes grounded in the first place? Alaska Airlines took immediate action and grounded all 65 of its Max 9 jets within hours after one of the two door plugs in the back half of the cabin blew away while the plane was flying at an altitude of 16,000 feet above Oregon. The FAA then made the decision to ground all Max 9s in the U.S. Although none of the passengers were seriously injured in this particular incident, regulators acted swiftly due to the potential severity of the accident. Fortunately, the two seats closest to the panel that blew off were unoccupied, and the plane had not yet reached its cruising altitude of over 30,000 feet when the incident occurred. Had the plane been at a higher altitude, passengers and flight attendants could have been moving around the cabin instead of being securely seated.

In addition to the incident on flight 1282, other airlines also discovered problems with the door plugs on their Max 9 planes. These findings further emphasized the need for a thorough inspection and repair process to ensure the safety of the aircraft. The FAA's comprehensive review and the implementation of the new inspection process provide reassurance that the planes will be safe for future flights.

As Alaska Airlines and United Airlines gradually reintroduce the Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners into their operations, passengers may still have lingering concerns about their safety. However, the FAA's actions and the airlines' commitment to following the inspection process should alleviate some of these worries. It is crucial for both the airlines and regulatory authorities to prioritize passenger safety and ensure that thorough inspections and repairs are conducted on all Max 9 planes to prevent any future incidents.