Alaska Airlines’s Jet Lost a Window Mid-Flight. What now?

This article explains what happened and how this incident affects aircraft manufacturers.

First things first, all the passengers are alive and safe.

An Alaska Airlines flight had a window ripped off mid-flight, forcing the flight to make an emergency landing. Inspectors are now running rounds to see what went wrong. This means thousands of passengers will have their trips altered over the next few weeks. It all comes down to safety!

Before I tell you what this means for aircraft manufacturers, let me briefly introduce you to the industry.

Almost all commercial airplanes (the ones you travel in for vacation) are made by two manufacturers: Boeing and Airbus. That's insane; think about it. Almost every plane you've ever flown on was probably made by one of these two companies. This type of situation is called a duopoly (almost everyone buys from just two companies).

Now that that's out of the way. Who takes the blame for this incident?

Currently, it is the aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Every Boeing Max 737 (flight model) worldwide is grounded and needs to be inspected. Hopefully, inspectors will say there's nothing wrong with the Boeing Max 737. But in the case of something being off, what happens?

Of course, Boeing is going to have a hard time. But let's take this thought exercise a step further. Considering that the only other major airline manufacturer is Airbus, would it benefit Airbus if Boeing gets in trouble?

At first glance, this would be good for Airbus. If Boeing is in trouble, all airline operators (Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, etc) would want to work with Airbus, right?

This may not necessarily be true. Think of the flip side. If Boeing gets in trouble, the aircraft manufacturing industry may face challenges with increased regulation (more rules and procedures). Regulators will want to inspect flights with much more scrutiny - including Airbus flights. This pushes up costs for everyone.

Let's see what happens next!

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