What You're Entitled to if the Boeing Max 9 Crisis Canceled Your Flight
For starters, getting your flight rebooked should be totally free.
Last weekend, when the door plug on an Alaska Airlines flight ripped off a Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane at 16,000 feet in the air, it was immediately anticipated that things were going to get complicated. After all, a plane door blowing out is a pretty huge safety concern. I can personally not stop thinking about the mother who described the experience of gripping on to her teenage son;s arms as he was pulled toward the gaping hole in the side of the plane to the Seattle Times. The incident immediately caused major changes to regular schedule programming.
The National Transportation Safety Board grounded all Boeing 737 Max 9 flights. This predominantly affected United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which had the highest percentage of these planes in their fleets. United and Alaska had to immediately cancel hundreds of flights, as investigations of each plane began. In total, 171 planes have been grounded. Even several days after the groundings first occurred, United and Alaska are still leading global cancellations, according to FlightAware data.
So, what does that mean if you’re on one of these canceled flights? At United, the exact timeline for when they will be back to full operational capacity is unclear.
"We're working to return our Boeing 737 MAX 9s to service in the days ahead," a United representative told Thrillist in a statement. "Service on that aircraft remains suspended with all Max 9 flights being canceled today. We continue to operate some planned flights by switching to other aircraft types."
We dug in to everything you're entitled to if you’ve had a flight canceled due to the Boeing grounding.
DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on January 10 that these cancellations are "controllable" and that passengers should expect to receive a number of benefits. "I have spoken with the CEOs of both of the airlines who have the aircraft that have been involved here…they have affirmed their commitment to take care of passengers," Buttigieg said, in a statement shared with Thrillist.
Buttigieg advises passengers affected by these cancellations to head to FlightRights.gov to determine what form of compensation they are entitled to. Many of the commitments from airlines made on the Flight Rights dashboard were made back in September 2022, at the urging of the DOT. The agency will be monitoring both airlines to ensure compliance with the commitments they have made in regards to these Boeing-related cancellations. For both United and Alaska, you are entitled to the following recourse for these "controllable cancellations."
- Rebooking on the same airline at no additional cost
- Rebooking on a partner airline or another airline with which it has an agreement at no additional cost
- Meal or meal cash/voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more for new flight
- Complimentary hotel accommodations for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
- Complimentary ground transportation to and from hotel for any passenger affected by an overnight cancellation
At Alaska Airlines, the airline has also committed to:
- Credit/travel voucher when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more from the scheduled departure time
- Frequent flyer miles when cancellation results in passenger waiting for three hours or more from the scheduled departure time
A statement from Alaska also further confirms these commitments.
"We're deeply sorry for the disruption this is causing our guests and we believe in doing what's right for them," said a statement from Alaska Airlines representative, shared with Thrillist. "We're following our customer service commitments, which are available on our website. We're working directly with guests to ensure they are taken care of and accommodated on an alternate flight."
You can reach out to the United Help Center here, and the Alaska Help Center here. If you feel that your airline is not meeting the commitments made to the DOT for cancellations, you can submit a complaint with the DOT here.
Looking for more travel tips?
Whether you need help sneaking weed onto a plane, finding an airport where you can sign up for PreCheck without an appointment, or making sure you’re getting everything you’re entitled to when your flight is canceled, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for up-to-date travel hacks and all the travel news you need to help you plan your next big adventure.