After a portion of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliner’s fuselage blew out in midair on Friday and caused an emergency landing in Portland, Ore., the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the temporary grounding of some Max 9 planes until they are thoroughly inspected.
Hundreds of flights operated by Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, which also has the Max 9 in its fleet, were delayed or canceled through the weekend. It’s unclear how the grounding and ongoing inspections will impact flights in the coming days as these and other airlines grapple with concerns over a workhorse aircraft.
The Max, which comes in four variants, numbered seven through 10, is the most popular plane in Boeing’s history, accounting for a fifth of all orders placed since 1955, company data shows.
Here’s what passengers should know about the Max 9 airplane, how airlines are responding to the grounding, and how to navigate upcoming flight delays or cancellations.
