New York: More travelers are checking the model of an aircraft before booking flights after a midair cabin blowout forced a new Alaska Airlines-operated Boeing jet to make an emergency landing and grounded more than 170 planes, several travel operators said.
A piece of fuselage tore off the left side of the 737 MAX 9 jetliner operated by Alaska Airlines as it climbed following take-off on Friday, forcing pilots to turn back and land safely with all 171 passengers and six crew on board.
US regulators have since grounded 171 737 MAX 9 planes for safety checks while Alaska and United Airlines, which together have 70 per cent of the 737 MAX 9 fleet, have canceled hundreds of flights this week.
