Airport Delays

[Obie]

The plug blew out because the 4 bolts that lock it in place were left out by someone.

All of the Max 9's and 737-900ER airplanes have been inspected now and those bolts are installed.

Delta Airlines proactively inspected all of their 737-900ER aircraft before the FAA suggested they do the inspections.

"Earlier this month, the FAA ordered the temporary grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX-9 aircraft following an Alaska Airlines safety incident where an emergency door was blown during flight.
Though Delta does not operate the MAX-9 aircraft, our fleet includes 130 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft with plugged doors. Out of an abundance of caution, Delta began inspecting these aircraft last week and completed the final inspection on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, ahead of a recommendation issued by Boeing and the FAA Sunday night.
We are in full compliance with FAA regulations regarding the safety of our aircraft and continue to remain in close contact with our partners at Boeing.
"I appreciate the proactive work of our TechOps team to prioritize these inspections well ahead of recommendations from Boeing and the FAA," said John Laughter, Chief of Operations and President, Delta TechOps. "Keeping safety first and foremost in our operation is the most important thing we do each day and the foundation of our brand promise to our customers."
Delta shared the following statement in response to media inquiries Sunday evening:
"As always, we remain in close communication with the Boeing team and Delta aircraft are inspected frequently and rigorously. Nothing is more important than safety, and we elected to take proactive measures to inspect our 737-900ER fleet. We're in full compliance with regulation from federal authorities regarding the safety of our aircraft, and at this time we do not anticipate any operational impact."
Delta has a longstanding and strong relationship with Boeing and is staying connected on any future findings."


The issue of who left out the bolts and why it happened is still to be resolved.

[HiloJulie]

I don’t think it’s fair to say that all 737-900ER’s have been inspected as of today. Granted, the 737-MAX9’s have and are now cleared to fly, but not all airlines have completed their inspections of the 737-900ER.  

Further, I am puzzled by your cut and pasted Delta news release. I could not source that release anywhere, including Delta’s own news release portal on their website site. Further puzzling me is that the news article you posted quotes that Delta has 130 737-900ER’s when both Boeing and Delta state they have 163 in their fleet.

ETA OK - I stand corrected on the total count of Delta's 737-900ER count. Delta has 130 bought directly from Boeing with door plugs and 33 that were bought from Lion Air - and were configured with exit doors and not plugs since the Lion Air seating capacity required them to have the extra exit doors.

[Obie]

You're correct, I shouldn't have stated that all 737-900ER's have been inspected. Delta's have been.
The inspection for the 737-900ER's is only a recommendation and not mandatory so some airlines may never do them.
Delta did.
I didn't check Delta's public news releases and that cut and paste came from an employee site.

Sorry for the confusion.

[TomK]

Whether the Max 9 or the 737-900ER are flying, the bad press that Boeing is dealing with is not good for them and doesn't make passengers believe in the product unless of course, which probably includes most, aren't aware of what type of aircraft they are flying on. I can sort of understand why the 737-900ER is flying because it's an older plane and if the door plugs haven't failed by now, they are probably just fine. You have to remember the accident happened on a brand new airplane, not one that's been flying for several years.

Until Boeing fixes their safety protocols I will be uneasy about flying on any of their new products. I'm happy flying on their older planes, such as the 777, and the 787 has gone through its teething problems and is unlikely to catch fire at inopportune times. But now we learn new 737 Max 7 and 10s have issues with their engine cowlings. It's a never-ending mess with Boeing these days.

https://youtu.be/CrKgZWMk1EA?si=P4VCxYR50CLfg_S5

[Obie]

They are going to redesign the cowlings before they are certified.

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/290321/

[randomq]

I flew a 737-900ER recently, and noticed my row only had one centered window while the rest had two windows. I just hoped it anything happened I would survive the initial decompression so I could enjoy the thrilling ride and view.

But wouldn't everyone freeze to death if the plane was at cruising altitude?

[SSGSurf]

I guess we can be thankful it won't be as bad as they are predicting SFO to be!

SFO runway closure could cause delays for months (ktvu.com)

(A little nostalgia I found - a United 747 at the gate and a United DC10/L1011 coming in - at HILO!!)

Just a PSA, if you can avoid SFO do so. 

I am a United flier and normally connect in SFO.  Right now, they are strictly enforcing flight departures from all airports with flights into San Fran. 

I have been delayed 3 times for a total of 2.5 hours on a current flight.  United is not boarding and making passengers sit on the aircraft to wait, but it is making connections a mess. I will be rebooking several future flights to avoid SFO.  I suggest you consider it also.  Too much of a gamble on connections.

Ouch just got delayed 3 more hours, so much for that connecting flight to HNL.

[HiloJulie]

Agreed. With the closure of 28L at SFO, along with the rain now falling (some parts of California are expected to get more rain in the next 24 hours than they get all year!) I think it’s a safe bet to stay away from SFO for the next few months!

While LAX is not experiencing any runway construction delays, the weather today is also got them pretty screwed up too!

My husband has to go to Phoenix later this week and just revised his planned KOA-LAX-PHX flight to KOA-DEN-PHX. And get this, at United’s suggestion!!

A few posts ago I mentioned how at one time there were two Boeing 747 E4-B “Doomsday” jets at Hilo for a brief few hours. I finally found the pictures!

   

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Another pic of the two Boeing E4-B’s at Hilo!

   

[Obie]

Something else for you to worry about.
"EASA warns of potential gaps in Airbus A380 fuselage, which could weaken its structure. Deviation in assembly process caused missing or misplaced shims in affected areas of the fuselage, leading to potential gaps. Airlines must conduct inspections and, if needed, repairs to ensure structural integrity of the aircraft."

[HiloJulie]

This is also something to worry about! GPS Spoofing!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarci...c009063e3e

Fortunately, the 380 is not as prolific as the 747 was and the 737, 757, 767, 777, 787 and their Airbus equivalents are, unfortunately if one has a major failure, it could be a massive loss of life.

My husband and I flew the 380 twice - first back in 2009 shortly after it came out from LAX to Melbourne and back on Quantis. Then, in early 2023 from HNL to Narita (Tokyo) and back on ANA.

Granted on both flights we were on the upper deck in Business Class. Granted it's an amazing engineering marvel. Granted its quiet, huge, comfortable with every amenity one could think of.

But it just gave me the "cattle car" feeling more than any jet I've ever been on - especially the lower deck economy seating area. Maybe it was the decor used. I don't know but I did think the Quantas 380 had a much nicer decor than the ANA 380 did. It feels like you're in a packed stadium.

@TomK Tom, since you mentioned the YouTuber "Juan" and his aviation explanations channel, have you ever seen the one where he interviewed the Captain of United's 1175 flight? It was the 777 that experienced the first catastrophic engine failure while at 36K feet and 200 miles from Honolulu. The sister to this 777 (next one produced) had the similar incident upon take off from Denver - United 328.

https://youtu.be/J7_lzeY23dI?si=eLeBVc7x_OmkSCYr