The 737 Max design cuts costs when seating fewer passengers, but creates a failure point for the jets. A door plug area of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft awaits inspection with paneling removed at the airline’s facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Jan. 10, 2024, in SeaTac. As the National Transportation Safety Board and numerous news outlets have explained, door plugs are commonly used to seal unused emergency exits on commercial airliners. That’s precisely what happened with Alaska Airlines Flight 1282; and how “door plug” suddenly entered the American vernacular. It may soon prove impossible to avoid flying on a 737 Max, particularly in the U.S. domestic market.

Source: The Herald January 21, 2024 12:51 UTC