Alaska cancels all 737 Max 9 flights through Saturday

Alaska Airlines said Wednesday it will cancel all flights scheduled on the 737 Max 9 jets through Saturday amid investigations into the aircraft’s safety.

The decision will affect 110-150 flights per day, Alaska said in a statement. After a piece of fuselage plugging an opening for an optional exit door detached from a 737 Max 9 mid-air Friday, all jets with the door plug feature have been grounded pending investigations.

Alaska’s announcement came the same day Seattle resident Anne Kitaeff and her husband were planning to fly home from a monthlong vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Like hundreds of other Alaska customers, their flight has been delayed. Still, Kitaeff says she doesn’t blame the Seattle-based airline.

“It's Boeing whose planes are not functioning as they should,” Kitaeff said. “Alaska Airlines finds itself in the position of having a lot of planes that they have to ground, so I don't really blame them there. My safety is what they're concerned about … and they did actually do a very good job of trying to help us.”

Federal safety investigators also said this week the responsibility for Friday’s harrowing incident likely lies with Boeing and its subcontractor. Initially, the National Transportation Safety Board looked into whether issues with a cabin pressure sensor light were related to the blowout. But NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy dismissed that concern during a press conference Monday.

“At this time, we have no indications whatsoever that this correlated in any way to the expulsion of the door plug and the rapid decompression,” she said.

Alaska investors appear reassured by the developments of the past few days. The company’s share price has rebounded after taking an initial hit following the incident. Boeing’s stock price on the other hand, has struggled to recover.

In a statement earlier this week, Boeing said, “we regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers.”

“As operators conduct the required inspections, we are staying in close contact with them and will help address any and all findings," the statement continued. "We are committed to ensuring every Boeing airplane meets design specifications and the highest safety and quality standards.”

Alaska has not responded to KUOW’s interview requests. In Wednesday’s announcement, Alaska said its team is “working around the clock to reaccommodate impacted guests on other flights.”

As for Kitaeff, she said, "there are worse places to be stuck than Puerto Vallarta."

“This afternoon, we're going to hit the beach.”