The suspension of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft added numbers to cause the highest number of flight disruptions in the US in six months.
Recent data records from aviation company FlightAware show more than 2,100 flights canceled in a single day, the highest since July 2023.
While the majority of the flights canceled were due to the winter storm in the Midwest, the suspended Boeing aircraft also contributed a large number on the record.
Over 200 United and Alaska Airlines flights are being canceled everyday following the Federal Aviation Agency order to temporarily ground the aircraft after its incident on Jan. 5, Friday.
Southwest Airlines, which does not fly Boeing 737 MAX, canceled most of the flights on Friday with nearly 400 schedules junked. Many came from Denver, Milwaukee, and Chicago where the winter storm hit the most.
Boeing 737 MAX 9 January Incident Explained
On the eve of Jan. 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 had to make an emergency landing minutes after lift-off due to one of its doors plug blowing up midflight.
A large hole at the side of the plane exposed passengers to the decreasing air pressure as the altitude goes up. Thankfully, no one was sitting in the cabin where the door blew nor was anyone seriously injured from the incident.
Cellphones, AirPods, a child's shirt, and a pilot's headset were the only reported items that got sucked out of the new hole in the plane.
Several passengers have already sued Boeing for exposing them to danger. So far, no lawsuits have yet been filed against Alaska Airlines.
The FAA is currently investigating the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft as of writing.
US Cancelled Flights May Grow in 2024
January 2024 continues to be a difficult period for the US aviation industry, just after its record-low flight cancellations last year.
The US only recorded 1.2% of terminated flights out of 16.3 million domestic and international travels made throughout the year.
Recent events, however, may suggest similar issues as 2022 records may happen again soon.
The US Department of Transportation recorded 2.3% canceled air travel two years ago, the highest since 2014 with 2.4% canceled flights.
Cancellation of flights caused a major hurdle in the US economy as it did in 2022 when flight disruptions generated a $30 billion headache for the Federal government.
More carbon footprints are also being used and wasted as airlines open another flight in place of the already active aircraft affected by the cancellation.
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