Four passengers who were on board the infamous Alaska Airlines flight said on Tuesday they are now suing the airline. This comes after six passengers announced they were suing Boeing.
Lawyers for the passengers told KIRO 7 that the incident caused intense trauma to passengers, adding that some of them were sending what they thought were final text messages.
Lawyers said one passenger wrote “Mom our plane depressed. We’re in masks. I love you.”
We’ve reached out to Alaska for their response to the lawsuit but so far we have not heard back.
Alaska Airlines CEO spoke out for the first time, last week, following the terrifying incident.
“I am so incredibly grateful for the crew who responded with professionalism and returned the flight and all aboard safely to Portland,” he said. “I sincerely apologize for what you experienced.”
He went on to say nothing was more important than the safety of his employees and customers.
Alaska grounded the 737 Max 9 that night and about 20% of its fleet. The next day, the FAA grounded all Max 9′s country-wide for safety inspections.
The FAA is now expanding its investigation. It’s looking into manufacturing practices and production lines, including those involving subcontractor Spirit AeroSystems, which builds the Max 9′ fuselage.
Inspections are now complete on 40% of the planes, and the FAA will review data from them.
Unfortunately, customers have felt the brunt of the lack of aircraft. Alaska alone has canceled 110 to 150 flights each day.
Alaska said although it is making progress on its own inspections, the info has to go to Boeing and the FAA for the next steps. As of now, they don’t know how long that will take.
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