United Airlines finds loose bolts in Boeing 737 Max 9

United Airlines said on Monday that it had found loose bolts in panels to its Boeing 737 Max 9 jets that are similar to the part of an Alaska Airlines plane that blew out during a flight on Friday, adding to growing safety concerns about the Max 9. The disclosure followed reports that Alaska Airlines had been warned three times about problems with cabin pressure on its plane. Those warnings were significant enough that the airline decided the plane could no longer be used on flights to Hawaii. United found the loose bolts in the panels, known as plugs in the industry, after starting to take out seats and sidewall liners to inspect the part this weekend, the airline said on Monday. The plugs are placed where an emergency exit door would be if a jet had more seats. A door plug suddenly flew off the Alaska Airlines plane on Friday during a drop in cabin pressure about 10 minutes after takeoff from Portland, Ore., subjecting passengers to howling wind and forcing pilots to quickly return to the airport. The door plug, phones, toys and other personal items all streamed out of the hole in the side of the plane and fell across the city. Airlines have canceled hundreds of flights as they prepare to inspect nearly 200 aircraft that will be grounded until regulators and company officials decide they are safe. Alaska Airlines used 65 Max 9 planes, about 20% of its fleet, and United used 79, more than any other airline and about 8% of its fleet, according to Cirium, an aviation data provider. Some passengers’ travel plans could be disrupted for days. The FAA sent instructions to the airlines on Monday on how to carry out the inspections, although Alaska and United said they were waiting on additional approval from the F.A.A. to begin. Officials led by the NTSB are focusing on, among other things, the installation and inspection of the plug. Story has more.<br/>