Boeing pays Alaska Air $160m after mid-air blowout

Boeing has paid $160m (£126m) to Alaska Air to make up for losses the airline has suffered following a dramatic mid-air blowout in January. Alaska said the money would address profits lost in the first three months of the year and it expected further payouts in the months ahead. Regulators temporarily grounded nearly 200 Boeing 737 Max 9 jets after a door plug fell from an Alaska Air plane shortly after take-off. Thousands of flights were cancelled. However, a law firm which is representing some of the passengers on the Alaska flight has criticised the move. "Apparently, Boeing thinks it more urgent and important to pay those whose corporate profits were at stake, but not those whose lives were at stake and nearly lost," said Daniel Laurence, a partner at the Stritmatter Firm.