Hawaii is the most remote place on Earth, and the 5- to 6-hour flight from California, Oregon, or Washington State to Hawaii is the longest overwater flight in the world, and the shortest flight between the State of Hawaii and the Mainland USA.

No Place to Land between the US Mainland and Hawaii

If anything goes wrong on such a flight there are no alternative airports to land.

The B737 Max 9 is one of the most uncomfortable planes in the sky for longer flights. The toilet is so small, that turning around in it may become a challenge. Flying First Class on United Airlines or Alaska Airlines on a B737 Max is hardly any different from a better coach seat. Forget the flat sleeper seats offered on Hawaiian Airlines, and also on the United Airlines B777.

Enough fuel on a MAX to fly to Hawaii?

eTurboNews had reported that several United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX had to make unscheduled emergency fuel stops in San Francisco on flights to Honolulu because it turned out to be too risky to continue to Honolulu non-stop.

The maximum range for the B737 Max 9 is 3,200 nautical miles. The distance from California to Hawaii is about 2,600 nautical miles. With unexpected storms on the way and no place to land, this may become a problem.

Little was known to passengers when their United non-stop flight from LAX to HNL landed in SFO this was an issue.

Loss of Pressure in the Cabin over the Pacific Ocean

This issue appears to have been even more serious and most likely fatal if there was a possibility of pressure loss in the cabin, and an emergency exit blown out in midflight over the Pacific Ocean.

This scenario just became a grim possibility after the recent Alaska Airlines accident on Friday.

It only got worse when today technicians found loose bolts that could cause such a pressure loss on both United Airlines and Alaska Airlines B737 Max 9 planes, the same planes used to connect Hawaii with the US West Coast.

Cockpit warnings ignored

If this wasn’t enough it was discovered that numerous cockpit warnings on the Alaska B737 Max 9 used for AK 1282 were ignored or at least not investigated properly putting the lives of crew and passengers in real danger.

It appears Boeing did not learn even years after two deadly crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, and criminal lawsuits against Boeing.

The best-selling plane for Boeing (B737 MAX) is not the safest plane ever sold. Boeing shareholders today felt the pain when Boeing stocks dropped 8%.

What about the lives put in danger after it was discovered today that unsafe B737-9 Max planes were flying around the country with loose bolts?

The FAA forced an inspection – and this may have saved many lives

Only after the FAA forced the airlines to check on Saturday, loose bolts were found now on both Alaska Airlines and United Airlines B737 Max 9.

With 8% of the United fleet consisting of B737-9 Max 9, flight interruptions and cancellations can be expected for days to come.

To give credit to Alaska Airlines, this airline acted quietly in suspending long overwater flights to Hawaii on this plane right before the recent incident. It doesn’t appear United Airlines planned to follow suit.

Loose bolts found on United Airlines and Alaska Airlines

Today, United Airlines reported discovering loose bolts in the door plugs, which are panels typically placed where emergency exit doors would be if there were more seats on the aircraft. These findings were made during inspections conducted over the weekend, as seats and sidewall liners were being removed.

Later in the day, Alaska Airlines also announced that technicians preparing Max 9 jets for inspections had found instances of loose hardware.

Early on Monday, the airlines received instructions from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding the inspections.

Still waiting for FAA instructions

By the end of the day, United Airlines indicated that it was still awaiting further approval from the FAA before initiating the inspections. Similarly, Alaska Airlines stated that it was waiting for guidance from both Boeing and the FAA. Nonetheless, technicians from both airlines have already commenced preliminary inspection work.

Today, Spirit AeroSystems, the manufacturer responsible for producing the body of the 737 Max and various other aircraft, witnessed a significant decline of 18% in its stock prices. The initial installation of the door was carried out by this company.

After today’s discovery, Spirit Aero Systems issued the following press release:

We are grateful the Alaska Airlines crew performed the appropriate procedures to land the airplane with all passengers and crew safe. At Spirit AeroSystems, our primary focus is the quality and product integrity of the aircraft structures we deliver.

Spirit is a committed partner with Boeing on the 737 program, and we continue to work together with them on this matter. Spirit is following the protocols set by the regulatory authorities that guide communication in these types of circumstances and we will share further information when appropriate.