Yes, it will be interesting to see of the FAA orders inspections of all 737 MAX of this type and/or if other airlines do it voluntarily. I expect we'll hear more in the next 24-48 hours. In the meantime I think if I was flying in the next couple of days I'd want to know what equipment was operating my flight.
From Seattle Times....
"The neat rectangular hole that appeared in the fuselage was located at the position where Boeing fits a plug to seal a door opening that is not used as a door by most airlines and by no U.S. carriers.
An emergency exit door is installed in that location only for jets going to low-cost carriers like Ryanair who cram in additional seats that require an extra emergency exit. Otherwise, the hole is sealed with a plug and from the inside it is covered by a sidewall so that to a passenger it looks like a normal window, not a door opening.
This plug, halfway between the over-wing exit and the door at the rear of the plane, is present only on the largest versions of the 737.
It’s fitted on the previous generation 737-900ER and the same design is on the 737 MAX 8-200, the high density version for low-cost carriers, as well as the MAX 9 and MAX 10.
It is not present on the MAX 7 or MAX 8."
Westjet flies 9's I think. AC's fleet looks to be all MAX 8's
