In early January, the fuselage plug door on an Alaska Airlines plane blew out in mid-flight, leaving a gaping hole that depressurized the cabin. Pilots made an emergency landing. No one was injured, but the incident shook most of the passengers, some of whom are suing Alaska Airlines and Boeing, the maker of the aircraft, for causing "intense fear, distress, anxiety, trauma [and] physical pain."
Since then, loose bolts have been reported on several Boeing 737 Max 9 planes flown by Alaska, United and other airlines, leading the FAA to temporarily ground all Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft “until operators complete enhanced inspections which include both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners.”
Meanwhile, an American Airlines flight attendant was arrested recently after an incident last fall in which he tried to record a teenage girl using the bathroom on a flight from Charlotte to Boston. Estes Carter Thompson III, 37, allegedly escorted the teenager to a bathroom in first class, then told her he had to wash his hands before she used the restroom. It’s believed that Thompson used that opportunity to hide his iPhone beneath large red stickers on the toilet lid.
The girl noticed the setup and took a picture with her own phone. She showed the photos to her parents when she returned to her seat. Other members of the crew alerted law enforcement, who met Thompson once the plane landed.
During an investigation, it was discovered that Thompson had recordings of four more female passengers from other flights.
On Jan. 2 in Japan, a plane carrying 379 people burst into flames after it collided with an earthquake relief aircraft during its landing. Passengers on the Japan Airlines plane were safely evacuated, but five people died on the other aircraft. Several days later, an All Nippon Airways jet bound for the United States had to return to Japan when a drunk American passenger bit a flight attendant on the arm.
On the ground, concerns that airlines might be putting DEI initiatives ahead of safety have begun to appear on Twitter/X and certain news sites. No reports of mishaps directly related to DEI rules appear to exist, but critics believe that they are at least inadvertently related.
In 2022, Boeing revamped its annual employee incentive program, adding climate and DEI goals to performance measures related to product safety, employee safety and quality. In its “Global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion 2023 Report,” Boeing noted that “in 2022, for the first time in our company’s history, we tied incentive compensation to inclusion.”
Elon Musk railed against Boeing’s policy. “Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety? That is actually happening,” Musk posted on his own platform.
Most people don’t care what color or gender their pilot is; they just want someone who can successfully operate a plane and get them to their destination safely. Same goes for whoever is attaching bolts to airplane doors. If they are qualified, they should get the job. And as far as flight attendants go, people tend to prefer those that don’t take advantage of young girls. At the same time, airlines should expect passengers to behave in a civilized manner.
In short, the airline industry has myriad issues at the moment, and those should be addressed before planes are 35,000 feet in the air.
Good coverage in the skies, Diane. Now predators flying with us under the guise of flight attendant! Thankful the young lady was attentive. 2023 was a banner year, and 2024 many are expected to add more planes plus pilots.
"The US aviation industry celebrated its busiest year ever for air travel in 2023 with 16.3 million flights and the lowest rate of flight cancellations in at least a decade according to data released by the country's Department of Transportation (DOT)." Jan 5, 2024