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An Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Diego returned to Sea-Tac International Airport shortly after it left Monday after reports of an “unusual vibration,” the airline said. Part of the cowling, the metal paneling covering the engine, detached from the plane upon landing, according to a statement from Alaska Airlines. The crew aboard the Boeing 737-900ER reported an unusual vibration on the left side of the plane during departure, the statement said. The plane is no longer in service as the airline’s safety team investigates the cause, the Seattle Times reported. The two pilots on the flight have over 32 years of combined flying experience, the airline said. There were 176 passengers and six crew members on the flight, according to the statement. No injuries were reported. Guests were rebooked on another flight bound for San Diego, the company said. The pilots and flight attendants handled the incident with “tremendous professionalism and care,” the airline said in the statement. “We also greatly appreciated the patience of our guests during this event.”<br/>

American Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja made clear Tuesday how the carrier plans to make its new industry-leading regional pilot pay rates work: higher passenger yields or, in other words, fares. “The value we’re able to go and create, especially [with] the regional network, has less to do with the expense profile of a regional jet and really everything to do with the yield profile of being able to go and serve a ton of these really unique markets,” Raja said at a Raymond James investor conference. By American’s own count, it offers travelers roughly 30% more unique connection pairs — for example, Charlottesville, Va., to Tucson — across its US network than its main competitors, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. And, in any market where one company has limited competition, the airline is able to generate higher passenger yields, particularly in smaller destinations, than its competitors. That is certainly what investors want to hear from American. In June, the airline agreed to historic pay increases for pilots at its three wholly-owned regional affiliates — Envoy, Piedmont Airlines, and PSA Airlines — that brought rates, at least for the next two years, in line with entry-level rates for pilots flying at American mainline. The move, according to American executives, was needed to address the pilot shortage faced by many US regional airlines. But higher cockpit crew member pay also means higher expenses. Compared to 2019, American forecasts a 12-14% jump in unit costs excluding fuel and special items, which includes pilot pay, in the third quarter. However, to Raja’s comments about higher yields, the airline anticipates a 20-24% increase in total unit revenues during the same period — an increase that would more than offset the higher costs.<br/>