Will United, Boeing issues hurt SFO travel?

From a blown-out Boeing 737 Max 9 door on an Alaska Airlines flight to a string of incidents involving United Airlines planes, including a wheel falling off during takeoff from San Francisco International Airport, the recent travails of aircraft manufacturer Boeing and air carrier United have raised safety concerns among travelers.

Both companies are receiving close scrutiny from the Federal Aviation Administration. Depending on how those separate reviews proceed, one air travel expert said, operations at SFO — one of United’s biggest hubs — and other airports could be impacted.

After several incidents involving equipment or operational problems involving United aircraft — most manufactured by Boeing — the FAA on Friday said it was “increasing oversight” of the airline.

If that oversight — essentially a safety analysis — reveals potential problems with Boeing’s manufacturing or United’s maintenance, “the FAA may require inspections that could take aircraft out of service just as the airline is gearing up for the summer travel season,” said aviation consultant Michael McCarron.

Doug Yakel, an SFO spokesperson, said the airport does not expect to be affected by any slowdown or reduction in production at Boeing. He referred questions about potential effects on United to the airline, which declined to comment.

While the FAA safety analysis order doesn’t mention Boeing, the aircraft manufacturer is already being investigated by aviation safety inspectors after the cabin door incident.

Boeing’s CEO Dave Calhoun said Monday he will step down by the end of the year amid a major leadership restructuring at the aircraft maker triggered by the January blown-door incident.

United is SFO’s largest commercial airline, carrying about half of the airport’s passengers, said McCarron, who previously worked at the airport in a number of positions, including spokesperson. The airline would be heavily impacted by required Boeing inspections, as would others.

“That would cause huge scheduling problems for any airline with Boeing aircraft, which is most of the major U.S. carriers,” he said.

The FAA would not elaborate on what its oversight inspections would entail but issued a brief statement:

“Due to recent safety events, the FAA is increasing oversight of United Airlines to ensure that it is complying with safety regulations; identifying hazards and mitigating risk; and effectively managing safety,” the statement said.

United also acknowledged the safety review in a letter to employees from Sasha Johnson, vice president of corporate safety, that was reviewed by the Chronicle. She said “the number of safety-related events in recent weeks have rightfully caused us to pause and evaluate whether there is anything we can and should do differently.”

“Over the next several weeks, we will begin to see more of an FAA presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities.” the letter continued. “We welcome their engagement and are very open to hear from them about what they find and their perspective on things we may need to change to make us even safer.”

SFO’s Yakel said that airlines at the airport have already reduced their schedules from January through July because of an ongoing runway closure. With arriving planes limited to using a single runway, delays of 30 to 60 minutes are expected to be common through at least April, he said.

McCarron said that while the most dramatic incidents — the blown-out door on an Alaska Airlines aircraft and the wheel that fell into an SFO parking lot after the takeoff of a United jet bound for Osaka — are uncommon, many of the others are not.

Incidents involving hydraulic system or wing problems, for example, occur relatively frequently and are almost always resolved without injury or notice. But in years past, no one had a cellphone with a camera to document the troubles.

In addition to the plunging tire during takeoff, United flights departing from or arriving at SFO experienced a variety of troubles — an engine failure on a trip from Hawaii, an engine fire on a flight from Houston, a hydraulic problem on a flight to Mexico and undisclosed “maintenance issues” that forced a flight from Sydney to SFO to turn back. No one was injured in any of the incidents.

“Now, with some amazingly shocking incidents that should be, and are noteworthy, and the fact that nearly everyone now has a camera in their pocket and also has the ability to transmit that photo or video instantly,” he said, “even the mundane and oddly enough routine can become instant news.”