Ever since the Alaska 737 MAX 9 incident, I have found myself having an emotional reaction to my normal seat-of-choice, the exit row window (21A or 21F on UA). Has anyone else noticed this? It could be on several levels:
- 737 MAX 9 - albeit mitigated by specific inspections
- 737-900 - same body (and plug door) as the MAX 9 with a much longer track records of no incidents, but questions about design give me pause
- Any 737 MAX - thinking about overall Boeing manufacturing and QC
- Any plane - as rare/unlikely as this is, window seats next to a door are not where you would want to be!
I know this is not largely a logical reaction, when looking at the track records (first I have ever heard of a door blowing off mid-flight), odds, safeguards, oversight, etc. And, for now, I still have flights coming up where I am in 21A or 21F, which I KNOW are not the same as plug doors. But I find myself pausing a bit.
Anyone else?
(I had mentioned this very early on the United 737 MAX 9 thread, but I realize this is an issue bigger and not specific to United, so posted here.)