This Is the Least Surprising Lawsuit of 2024

There was bound to be fallout from the Alaska Airlines plane that lost a door plug last week, and the first of it is here in the form of a lawsuit. As Axios reports, a Seattle firm has filed a proposed class-action complaint Thursday on behalf of six passengers and "all others similarly situated," claiming that the frightening incident aboard Flight 1282 "physically injured some passengers and emotionally traumatized most if not all aboard." The suit wasn't filed against the airline, but against Boeing itself, manufacturer of the beleaguered 737 Max 9 planes. A family member of one of the six passengers suing is also named as a plaintiff, per the Seattle Times.

At least two passengers in the suit said they had trouble breathing after the panel blew off the plane, with one close to fainting; another said that the blowout caused their head to jolt "back and forth causing a concussion and soft tissue injuries to her neck and back." "The impacts on their willingness to fly at all and future flight experiences remain to be revealed," the suit notes. A Boeing rep on Thursday evening said the company had "nothing to add" in response to the complaint, per Axios. The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all Max 9 planes until they can be inspected. (The missing door plug turned up in a Portland teacher's backyard.)