Temporary grounding, inspection of Boeing aircrafts hits South Florida travelers

The Federal Aviation Administration’s temporary grounding and required inspection over the weekend of at least 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft is impacting travelers here in South Florida.

That came after Friday when Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, was forced to make an emergency landing after a section of the cabin was sucked out while in flight.

On Monday, at least six arrivals and seven departures on United Airlines were canceled at Miami International Airport, according to Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department. Copa saw one arrival canceled.

The destinations affected for the United flights were Newark, Chicago, and Houston, and for Copa, Panama City.

On Sunday, United saw four arrivals and departures canceled at MIA, Aeromexico had two arrivals and departures canceled, and Copa had two arrivals and departures.

While these numbers are a tiny share of MIA’s overall daily traffic, the slowdown comes as United has added flights across South Florida airports this winter. And other global airlines have too, increasingly seeing it as an important international travel hub.

The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 is just the latest in the saga of the company’s troubles.

The Boeing Max 8 was grounded in 2019 following two crashes, in 2018 and 2019, that killed a total of over 300 people.

“The FAA is requiring immediate inspections of certain Boeing 737 Max 9 planes before they can return to flight,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement. The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft, the FAA wrote.

A bit north, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has also been impacted.

On Monday as of noon eastern time, United had five flights canceled, according to Arlene Satchell, public information officer for the Broward County Aviation Department. Those included arrivals from San Francisco International and Washington Dulles Airport and two departures to Washington Dulles and one to Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Alaska Airlines had four flight cancellations including two arrivals and departures each from Seattle and San Diego International Airport.

On Sunday, 26 arrivals and departures were canceled by United and Alaska. With United, Washington Dulles, Denver, Newark, and Phoenix were the destinations impacted. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines had flights canceled serving Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Phoenix.

United said in a statement that overall, it expected 200 cancellations on Monday.

A spokesman said that, “we are working with customers to reaccommodate them on other flights and in some cases have been able to avoid cancellations by switching to other aircraft types.”

MIA’s largest carrier, American Airlines, was not affected at all it said. The company accounts for about 70% of traffic.

Delta Airlines, which has been growing at Miami Airport for the past year and has a partnership with LATAM, has not see an impact either.

Spokespersons from both companies confirmed that neither airline flies the Boeing 737 Max 9.

Still, travelers are urged to call or check with their individual airlines well in advance.

MIA has multiple ways online to check flights, including a list of airlines, their door number, departure concourse, check-in counter location and baggage claim area. The airport also has a mobile app.

With FLL, you can check this site for flights.

It is unclear how long United, Alaska, and others will be impacted. United’s spokesperson said it has currently parked all 79 of its 737 Max 9 airplanes. And that it has “begun steps such as removing the inner panel to access the emergency door plug, and begun preliminary inspections while awaiting final instructions.”

On Monday, the FAA said it had approved a method to inspect grounded Boeing 737-9 airplanes. That could eventually get them flying again.