Additional Passengers Sue Alaska Airlines, Boeing

Four more plaintiffs are suing Boeing and Alaska Airlines has been sued for the first time over the Flight 1282 incident.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 03:52 PM ET

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The Boeing 737 Max 9 makes up 20 percent of Alaska Airlines’ fleet. [Courtesy: Alaska Airlines]

Key Takeaways:

Four more passengers are suing Alaska Airlines and Boeing over Flight 1282, alleging negligence and strict product liability after the Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door plug in mid-flight.
The lawsuit claims Alaska Airlines was aware of prior pressurization warnings on the aircraft and had pulled it from overwater operations, but controversially allowed it to continue flying over land.
Boeing is accused of delivering a plane with a faulty door plug and a history of quality control issues, with its CEO's "quality escape" comment cited as an admission of a mistake.
Passengers experienced intense fear and trauma during the explosive decompression, with many believing they might die, and found the airline's subsequent $1,500 compensation offer insufficient.

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Four more passengers aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 are suing the air carrier along with Boeing for allegedly endangering them by allowing the Boeing 737 Max 9 to fly on January 5. According to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Superior Court in Seattle, the airline was aware of problems with the aircraft’s pressurization system.

There were 177 on board when the aircraft lost a door plug while climbing through 16,000 feet and experienced explosive decompression, resulting in a door-sized hole on the left side of the fuselage. The accident happened 13 minutes after takeoff from Portland International Airport (KPDX) in Oregon. The aircraft was bound for Ontario, California.