Alaska Airlines Back in the 737 MAX Business

Alaska Airlines today resumed its use of a Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft with a flight from Sea-Tac International Airport in Washington state to California.

It is the airline’s first use of the plane in nearly two years, after the 737 MAX was grounded in March of 2019 following the deaths of 346 passengers and crew on two separate airline crashes involving the MAX.

The airplane was re-certified for flight by the Federal Aviation Administration in November, and American Airlines made the first successful commercial run in late December from Miami to New York.

“It’s all part of a public relations campaign to instill confidence in the traveling public,” aviation consultant Scott Hamilton told KING5 television in Seattle.

“I think it will be a couple of years before you see statistically that people no longer have a fear about flying MAX. I think there will always be some, but I think that as long as you don’t have another accident that is tied to a design issue of the airplane, I don’t think you’re going to have any real concern after a couple of years.”

Here’s how Alaska Airlines put the plane back into service.