Despite 22 Hawaii Flights, Warnings Prior To Blowout, Alaska Airlines Blameless

As we first indicated, the Alaska Airlines plane with the now infamous January 5 mid-air door plug blowout, depressurization, and emergency landing had extensive flying to and from Hawaii leading up to the event.

Alaska Airlines will not be held responsible for the incident.

The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the event, as was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Some of the passengers are now possible victims in that investigation.

Alaska said, “In an event like this, it’s normal for the DOJ to be conducting an investigation. The airline rep added that they are “fully cooperating and [we] do not believe we are a target of the investigation.”

The 737 MAX 9 jet had been prohibited from over-water Hawaii flights.

Pilots had reported pressurization warning lights on the plane’s previous flights across the Pacific. NTSB’s chief said that as a result, a decision was made (we aren’t clear if that was by Alaska or NTSB) to stop Hawaii flights so that the plane “could return very quickly to an airport” should warnings occur again. The relationship between the warning lights on over-water flights and the door blowout has been fully detailed. Also, NTSB said that “an additional maintenance look” was to have occurred but did not before the incident.

Unraveling Hawaii Airfare Secrets: Inside Dynamic Pricing

The situation could have been “much more tragic” if the plane had been cruising to Hawaii.

First, the aircraft was climbing when the issue occurred rather than at a higher cruise altitude. Additionally, the plane was able to divert quickly. Had it been en route to or from Hawaii, however, diversion points are non-existent.

Flights to Hawaii present unique challenges compared to mainland flights due to their long over-water duration. Hawaii is over 2,500 miles from North America, making these among the world’s longest overwater routes without a diversion point.

Hawaii-bound flights can be up to three hours from the nearest diversion airport. Given these distances, safety considerations take on heightened significance during Hawaii air journeys.