Chuck Darwin<p>Airlines decide how many passenger seats they want on a plane. <br>That’s why some feel more crowded than others.</p><p>The number of passengers an airplane can seat determines the number of ♦️emergency exits ♦️required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). </p><p>In order to make airplanes more like assembly line cars and less like a handmade Rolls-Royce, <a href="https://c.im/tags/Boeing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Boeing</span></a>’s finance-first management introduced the <a href="https://c.im/tags/cutout" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cutout</span></a> in 2006 as part of the 737 MAX predecessor.</p><p>When an airline wanted maximum passenger capacity, Boeing made the cutout into an exit door. </p><p>Otherwise, Boeing replaced the cutout with a door plug. <br>The door plug, part of the fuselage, is a component of most 737 MAX 9 jets, according to ABC. They rotate “outward to 15 degrees as part of maintenance.”</p><p>In the U.S., only Alaska and United currently have the 737 MAX 9 in their fleet. <br>Because they chose not to cram us in like sardines, all have the door plug.</p><p>News stories have focused on four missing and loose bolts. However, Airways Magazine reports that the door plug is fastened with 12 stop pins as well as the four stop bolts.</p><p>On Friday’s Alaska flight, all 12 stop pins disengaged, “meaning all the stop pads became disengaged, fracturing the fittings and allowing the plug to blow out of the fuselage.”<br><a href="https://c.im/tags/737max9" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>737max9</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/cutout" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>cutout</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/bolt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>bolt</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/stoppins" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>stoppins</span></a><br><a href="https://c.im/tags/alaska" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>alaska</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/united" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>united</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/blowout" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>blowout</span></a><br><a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/alaska-and-united-are-the-only-us-airlines-with-a-boeing-737-max-9-in-their-fleet-all-have-the-door-plug/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">themoderatevoice.com/alaska-an</span><span class="invisible">d-united-are-the-only-us-airlines-with-a-boeing-737-max-9-in-their-fleet-all-have-the-door-plug/</span></a></p>