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What travelers need to know

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What travelers need to know

The fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Boeing 737-9 MAX, which was forced to make an emergency landing with a gap in the fuselage, is seen during its investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board in Portland, Oregon, on Jan. 7, 2024.

Ntsb | Via Reuters

Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights since the Federal Aviation Administration ordered carriers to take Boeing 737 Max 9 planes out of service for urgent inspections.

Here’s what travelers should know:

Why did the FAA ground the planes?

Which airlines are affected?

Can I get a refund if my flight was canceled?

United and Alaska have put travel waivers in place that allow customers to rebook their flights without paying change fees, or to cancel their flights altogether.

How long will the planes be grounded?

The FAA approved Boeing’s inspection instructions for airlines on Monday, a key step in getting the planes flying again.

Still, it’s not immediately clear how long the inspections will take. United said it had already begun the first steps to inspect its 737 Max 9 planes like removing a panel to access the emergency door.

Carriers will likely be able to return the planes to service once they comply with the inspections, if they meet the standards.

Which piece of the plane failed and why?

It is not clear what caused the door plug to blow out during the flight. The piece of the aircraft sits where an emergency exit would be on planes that carry more travelers. On planes that are configured for fewer passengers, like United’s and Alaska’s, a traveler sitting in the cabin wouldn’t know that a door-shaped piece is cut in the fuselage.

The National Transportation Safety Board has recovered the door, which was spotted by a schoolteacher in Oregon. Examining the door, its fasteners and other details will be key to the NTSB’s investigation into the rare accident, but results of that could take weeks if not months to piece though.