eastunder
10 months ago
UPDATE 6-Alaska Airlines grounds Boeing 737 MAX 9 for checks after blowout
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-u-safety-board-investigating-045113315.html
David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna and Tim Hepher
Fri, January 5, 2024 at 9:51 PM MST·
(Changes dateline, adds context in paragraphs 3-4, NTSB statement in paragraph 6)
By David Shepardson, Valerie Insinna and Tim Hepher
Jan 6 (Reuters) - Alaska Airlines has grounded dozens of Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets for safety checks after a cabin panel blowout forced a brand-new airplane loaded with passengers to make an emergency landing.
The piece of fuselage tore off the left side of the jet shortly as it climbed out of Portland, Oregon, en route for Ontario in California on Friday, forcing pilots to turn back and land safely with 171 passengers and six crew on board.
It is the latest mishap involving Boeing's best-selling model, which was grounded for almost two years following crashes in 2018 and 2019, and comes as Boeing and a major supplier are grappling with a succession of production or quality problems.
There were no immediate indications of the cause of the apparent structural failure nor any reports of injuries.
Airline CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement its fleet of 65 similar planes would be returned to service only after precautionary maintenance and safety inspections, which he expected to be completed in the "next few days".
U.S. aviation authorities announced an investigation.
The National Transportation Safety Board said on Saturday a team of experts in structures, operations and systems would arrive on the scene later that day.
Boeing also said it was looking into the incident.
"We are working to gather more information and are in contact with our airline customer," Boeing said.
Flight 1282 had reached just over 16,000 feet when the blowout happened, according to FlightRadar24.
"We'd like to get down," the pilot told air traffic control, according to a recording posted on liveatc.net.
"We are declaring an emergency. We do need to come down to 10,000," the pilot added, referring to the initial staging altitude for such emergencies, below which breathing is considered possible for healthy people without extra oxygen.
Social media posts showed oxygen masks deployed and a portion of the aircraft's side wall missing.
Passenger photos appeared to show that a section of the fuselage sometimes used for an optional rear mid-cabin exit door had been torn away, leaving a door-shaped gap.
The extra door is typically installed by low-cost airlines using extra seats that require more paths for evacuation.
However, those doors are permanently "plugged", or deactivated, on Alaska Airlines jets.
The new MAX 9 was delivered to Alaska Airlines in late October and certified in early November, according to FAA data.
PRODUCTION SNAGS
"Whenever you have a rapid decompression such as this, it's a major safety event," said Anthony Brickhouse, an air safety expert at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
"I can't imagine what these passengers experienced. It would have been loud. The wind would be rushing through that cabin. It was a probably pretty violent situation, and definitely a scary situation."
The incident shows the importance of passengers keeping their seatbelts buckled while seated in an airplane, even if the fasten seatbelt light is off, Brickhouse said, noting that the oxygen mask system appeared to have functioned properly.
Reports said the seat next to the left-hand panel, which contains an ordinary passenger window, was unoccupied.
"This is a very, very serious situation and it could have been a lot worse," he said. "If someone had been sitting in that seat, and they weren't buckled in, it would have been a different situation."
The 737 MAX was grounded for 20 months worldwide after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 linked to poorly designed cockpit software killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Boeing is awaiting certification of its smaller 737 MAX 7 and larger MAX 10.
China's aviation regulator is conducting an emergency meeting to consider a response to the incident, including a possible new grounding of the Boeing MAX fleet in the country, Bloomberg news reported on Saturday.
China was the first country to ground the MAX in 2019 and only recently started accepting new deliveries, though domestic services using the plane resumed in January last year.
Last week, Boeing said it was urging airlines to inspect all 737 MAX airplanes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.
The FAA said it was closely monitoring Boeing 737 MAX inspections and would consider additional action if more loose or missing hardware was found.
The fuselage for Boeing 737 planes, its most popular model, is made by Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems, which separated from Boeing in 2005.
In August, Boeing identified a quality problem involving Spirit that resulted in improperly drilled holes on the aft pressure bulkhead.
It was not immediately clear whether the door "plug" used to replace the door when not selected by airlines is also made by the Wichita, Kansas-based, supplier, nor whether the Alaska incident was related to factory processes or design.
Boeing and Spirit did not immediately respond to requests for comments on how that part of the jet is assembled. (Reporting by David Shepardson, Valerie Insinna and Tim Hepher; Additional reporting by Akanksha Khushi; Editing by Gerry Doyle, Jan Harvey and Diane Craft)
eastunder
10 months ago
Alaska Airlines 737 lands safely after a window blows out 3 miles over Oregon
AUDREY McAVOY
Fri, January 5, 2024 at 8:53 PM MST·
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alaska-airlines-flight-makes-emergency-035312343.html
An Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out a window and a portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff three miles above Oregon, creating a gaping hole that sucked clothing off a child and forced the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 174 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks.
No one was seriously hurt as the depressurized plane returned safely Friday night to Portland International Airport about 20 minutes after it had departed, but the airline grounded its 65 Boeing 737-9 aircraft until they can be inspected. The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday it will also investigate.
Passenger Evan Smith said a boy and his mother were sitting in the row where the window blew out and the child’s shirt was sucked off him and out of the plane.
“You heard a big loud bang to the left rear. A whooshing sound and all the oxygen masks deployed instantly and everyone got those on,” Smith told KATU-TV.
Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said the inspection of the company 737-9 fleet aircraft could take days to complete. They make up a fifth of the company's 314 planes. It wasn't immediately known Saturday how that would affect the company's flight schedule.
“We are working with Boeing and regulators to understand what occurred ... and will share updates as more information is available,” Minicucci said. “My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced.”
The Port of Portland, which operates the airport, told KPTV that the fire department treated minor injuries at the scene. One person was taken for more treatment, but wasn't seriously hurt.
Flight 1282 had taken off from Portland at 5:07 p.m. Friday for a two-hour flight to Ontario, California. About six minutes later, the window and a chunk of the fuselage blew out as the plane was at about 16,000 feet (4.8 kilometers). One of the pilots declared an emergency and asked for clearance to descend to 10,000 feet (3 kilometers), the altitude where the air would have enough oxygen to breathe safely.
'We need to turn back to Portland," the pilot told controllers in a calm voice that she maintained throughout the landing process.
Videos posted by passengers online showed a gaping hole where the window had been and passengers wearing their masks. They applauded when the plane landed safely about 13 minutes after the window blew out. Firefighters then came down the aisles, asking passengers to remain in their seats as they treated the injured.
The aircraft involved rolled off the assembly line and received its certification just two months ago, according to online FAA records. The plane had been on 145 flights since entering commercial service on Nov. 11, said FlightRadar24, another tracking service. The flight from Portland was the aircraft's third of the day.
The Max is the newest version of Boeing’s venerable 737, a twin-engine, single-aisle plane frequently used on U.S. domestic flights. The plane went into service in May 2017.
Two Max 8 jets crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people and leading to a near two-year worldwide grounding of all Max 8 and Max 9 planes. The planes returned to service only after Boeing made changes to an automated flight control system implicated in the crashes.
Last year, the FAA told pilots to limit use of an anti-ice system on the Max in dry conditions because of concern that inlets around the engines could overheat and break away, possibly striking the plane.
Max deliveries have been interrupted at times to fix manufacturing flaws. The company told airlines in December to inspect the planes for a possible loose bolt in the rudder-control system.
Littleween
6 years ago
Sometimes I think Jet Blue and Virgin America would have worked better, especially for customers across the country. Simultaneously, I understand what Tilden and Air Group see in the Pac12, and Hawaii also makes sense. I happen to believe that, from a customer's pov, Virgin and Mint fit together better than Alaska, Horizon, and Virgin.
Secondly, Alaska overpaid for Virgin. They got caught playing defense, and Hayes bid up the price to press his number one competitor, even though Air Group and Jet Blue are not, nor have they ever been, competitors. But Hayes did so anyway, and Tilden and the Board at AAG overpaid.
This deal smells like that deal that that mid-tier PE firm from Florida did a few years ago with Haagen, the grocery store chain. Is the Alaska brand as appealing as United or Southwest out of Chicago, St. Louis, or Houston? I would argue, no.
Alaska could have sold some of the newly aquired mid-con routes and leave the trans cons for the big players, thereby recouping some cash and operational liabilities. Instead, management decided to integrate all the planes and routes into their present franchise. The company is trapped for a little while.
And they bought back stock last year at inflated prices in relation to expected 2019 cash flows. Wtf? Mr. Tilden, you didn't see that coming? Surely management knew that earnings would decline in the short term, and they could have waited for lower prices in the public market.
But where to now? Now they've got to work hard as all get out JUST to compete for the number 5 spot in the US behind Delta, American, United, and Southwest. They could pul back, stay West Coast, and write some preferreds for existing shareholders to keep from getting bought out, which they could have done before purchasing Virgin. I'm not counting Alaska out, because they do provide excellent customer service. But they've set a high bar for themselves. I'd probably try to start trips to Japan and S. Korea if I was Tilden, using Ted Stevens International.
ITMS
7 years ago
The Chart Trend In The Airline Sector Is Down, Where Will It Land?
Most of the major airlines stocks have topped out recently. Leading airline stocks such as United Continental Holdings Inc(NYSE:UAL), American Airlines Group Inc(NASDAQ:AAL), Delta Air Lines, Inc.(NYSE:DAL), Southwest Airlines Co(NYSE:LUV) and Alaska Air Group, Inc.(NYSE:ALK) have now made lower highs on the daily chart and are trading below their important 50-day moving average. This puts the daily trend of these stocks in a down position. Often when stock decline in this fashion it is a sign of a bigger correction on the horizon for the sector.
Earlier this year, Alaska Air Group, Inc.(NYSE:ALK) was the leading stock in the industry group, but now it is the laggard. Today, the company reported earnings and it is declining lower by nearly 4.0 percent on the session. The stock is now trading below its 50-week moving average which is very negative. Traders and investors must now watch the $78.00 area the next major support level. This is a major retrace level for the stock and it should be defended by the institutional money when retested.
Nicholas Santiago
InTheMoneyStocks
KingDMC
9 years ago
Alaska Air Group announces $1 Billion Share Repurchase Program
Source: PR Newswire (US)
SEATTLE, Aug. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) has approved a share repurchase program authorizing the company to buy back up to $1 billion of its common stock. This is the largest repurchase program in the airline's history, representing 10 percent of the stock market capitalization of the company.
The board also declared a quarterly cash dividend of 20 cents per share payable on Sept. 1 to shareholders of record as of Aug. 18.
"Our growing network, low fares, outstanding operational reliability, and the award-winning service delivered by our employees are producing excellent financial results and record cash flows," Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden said. "We are reinvesting in the business and returning cash to our owners, and we intend to continue doing more of the same in the future. We are confident in the future of Alaska Air Group and committed to building long-term shareholder value."
The $1 billion repurchase program will begin after the existing $650 million buyback is completed.
The repurchase program allows the company to repurchase its common stock using open market stock purchases, negotiated transactions or through other means, including accelerated share repurchases and 10b5-1 trading plans.
This will be Alaska's ninth repurchase program since 2007. The company has spent over $1.1 billion buying back more than 53 million shares of its stock, or about one third of the total shares outstanding at that time.
Air Group began paying a quarterly dividend of 10 cents per share in August of 2013. The dividend was increased to 12.5 cents per share in February 2014 and increased again to 20 cents per share in January 2015. Air Group has paid out $148 million in quarterly dividends in less than two years.
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for eight consecutive years from 2008 to 2015. Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan also ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power 2014 and 2015 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit Alaska Airlines' newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.
KingDMC
10 years ago
Alaska Air Group Declares Quarterly Dividend
Source: PR Newswire (US)
SEATTLE, May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK) has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 20 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on June 4 to all shareholders of record as of May 21, 2015. Dividends are financed from operating cash flow and cash on hand.
Air Group initiated a quarterly dividend in August 2013. The dividend was increased by 25 percent in 2014 and increased by an additional 60 percent to 20 cents per share in 2015. Alaska Air Group has the highest dividend yield in the U.S. airline industry.
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network across the United States, Canada and Mexico. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.
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