Weight and Balance constrained MAX 9
Oct 27, 2022, 10:57 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: SAN
Programs: AS Mileage Plan 100k, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 991
Weight and Balance constrained MAX 9
Something truly odd happened today... AS 621 SAN-SEA was practically empty. The entire upgrade list cleared, still open first class seats. 3 people in Premium.
There were so few people they had to redo all the seat assignments for Weight and Balance... felt like a Q400 flight with the agents and flight attendants telling people to remain aft of Row 27.
I took a photo after boarding was complete, it was that jarring.
BUT.... fantastic service. Pre-board music running. PDB's offered. Food service fast and efficient. This one is going to Alaska listens for some serious kudos.
There were so few people they had to redo all the seat assignments for Weight and Balance... felt like a Q400 flight with the agents and flight attendants telling people to remain aft of Row 27.
I took a photo after boarding was complete, it was that jarring.
BUT.... fantastic service. Pre-board music running. PDB's offered. Food service fast and efficient. This one is going to Alaska listens for some serious kudos.
Oct 27, 2022, 3:33 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,375
Oct 27, 2022, 3:53 pm
#7
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: AA ExecPlat; AF Gold; UA GS; Hyatt L. Globalist; Marriott Plat; Hilton Diamond; National EE
Posts: 6,167
Oct 27, 2022, 5:04 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: SAN
Programs: AS Mileage Plan 100k, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 991
When it goes haywire, it puts in so much nose down trim the pilots can’t fight back and you dive out of the sky.
Oct 27, 2022, 5:27 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 2,841
Nope, MCAS pushes the nose down to *prevent* a stall due to the larger engines. it’s designed to make the plane “feel” like an older 737 to a pilot hand flying.
When it goes haywire, it puts in so much nose down trim the pilots can’t fight back and you dive out of the sky.
When it goes haywire, it puts in so much nose down trim the pilots can’t fight back and you dive out of the sky.
Oct 27, 2022, 7:09 pm
#11
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Lake Oswego, Oregon or Costa Alegre take your pick
Programs: AS MVPG,
Posts: 1,066
Maybe cancel some of those empty flights instead AS's of essential service to parts of Mexico. They have been almost eliminated. I am so tired of my flights being cancelled. Enough flights to SAN and SJC. How about underserved destinations like ZLO. It is almost impossible to get a flight there even in high season and spring break. grrr.
Oct 27, 2022, 7:52 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2012
Location: HNL
Programs: AS MVPG, HA Plat
Posts: 1,268
OT, but they really don't seem to be getting a lot of traction interisland. A colleague who's flown with them says that when they're able to operate on time, it's great, because you can have a row all to yourself. Still don't understand why they thought it was a good idea to enter those markets. They can probably bleed Hawaiian enough to force their way in over time, but there have to be easier and cheaper places for them to expand.
Oct 27, 2022, 9:00 pm
#13
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 16
OT, but they really don't seem to be getting a lot of traction interisland. A colleague who's flown with them says that when they're able to operate on time, it's great, because you can have a row all to yourself. Still don't understand why they thought it was a good idea to enter those markets. They can probably bleed Hawaiian enough to force their way in over time, but there have to be easier and cheaper places for them to expand.
Oct 30, 2022, 11:38 am
#14
Join Date: May 2004
Location: HNL
Posts: 124
Yeah when I flew them (admittedly, Nov 2021, when the governor was telling everyone not to come) I think my WN interisland had about 40 pax LIH>HNL. The HA 717 carried more pax when I flew KOA>LIH a few days earlier. Does WN have dedicated interisland planes or do they tack the interisland flights on at the beginning or end of a trip to/from the mainland? If it's the latter I could see it making economic sense just to keep the planes moving and generating revenue, but yeah I have no idea how that could be profitable flying otherwise when your customers are paying $49.
Oct 30, 2022, 12:26 pm
#15
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 659
I was on 3 flights yesterday all with "weight and balance" concerns during a mileage run.
LAX to EWR, and the return flight EWR to LAX both were fairly light on passengers and so it made sense they had to move people around. Those were both on a MAX.
The weird thing was on my last leg home, LAX to SEA on a 737-900 the flight was completely full and they were making "weight and balance" announcements which I was like "what are we supposed to do? every seat & overhead will be full"...
LAX to EWR, and the return flight EWR to LAX both were fairly light on passengers and so it made sense they had to move people around. Those were both on a MAX.
The weird thing was on my last leg home, LAX to SEA on a 737-900 the flight was completely full and they were making "weight and balance" announcements which I was like "what are we supposed to do? every seat & overhead will be full"...