Alaska Airlines flight carrying pets arrives with cargo door open as carrier and Boeing face $1B lawsuit

Alex Mitchell
·2 min read
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A cargo door on an Alaska Airlines flight was unsealed upon landing. There were reportedly pets in the cargo hold.
A cargo door on an Alaska Airlines flight was unsealed upon landing. There were reportedly pets in the cargo hold.

Here we go again.

Embattled Alaska Airlines is at the center of a second aviation drama after a plane arrived at an airport gate in Portland, Ore. last Friday with its cargo door open.

The cargo hold was stowing passenger’s pets, according to local TV station KOIN, although none of the animals were injured. The plane had flown in from Los Cabos, Mexico.

Alaska Airlines told KOIN in a statement that “there was no indication to the crew that the door was unsealed during [last Friday’s] flight and all indications point to the door partially opening after landing.”

“Our maintenance teams inspected the aircraft, replaced a spring in the door, tested the door and reentered it into service,” the Alaska Airlines statement concluded.

The Post reached out to Alaska Airlines for comment.

Alaska Airlines hit headlines in January after a door plug blew off mid-air during a flight from Portland to Ontario, Calif.

Embattled Alaska Airlines is at the center of a second aviation drama after a plane arrived at an airport gate in Portland, Ore. with its cargo door open. KOIN6
Embattled Alaska Airlines is at the center of a second aviation drama after a plane arrived at an airport gate in Portland, Ore. with its cargo door open. KOIN6
An Alaska Airlines cargo door was unsealed upon landing in Portland, Oregon. Pets were reportedly in the cargo. KOIN6
An Alaska Airlines cargo door was unsealed upon landing in Portland, Oregon. Pets were reportedly in the cargo. KOIN6

While the company appeared to downplay any issues, aviation expert Joe Schwieterman told KOIN that a cargo door opening up on its own as “a pretty major defect.”

“It affects a lot of the electrical equipment in that cargo hold. So, it is troublesome that you may have a plane where some things like this went undetected,” he said.

Both Boeing and Alaska Airlines are already amid a $1B lawsuit over plane safety. The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board also warned that the January incident could be repeated.

Alaska Airlines has come under a litany of criticism over safety issues this winter. AFP via Getty Images
Alaska Airlines has come under a litany of criticism over safety issues this winter. AFP via Getty Images

That aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Meanwhile on Friday, a Boeing 737 MAX 9 rolled off a runway at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, forcing all passengers to evacuate.

The United Airlines flight had been scheduled to fly to Memphis, Tenn.