Dominic Gates, The Seattle Times

French aviation safety authorities this week joined U.S. investigators in a harsh critique of the final report by Ethiopian authorities into the March 2019 crash of a Boeing 737 MAX.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said the losses were driven by “a rough and tough supply chain world with a lot of pauses, a lot of interruptions.”

After a nightmarish breakdown in its operations in the spring, the airline recovered in the quarter to lead the industry in on-time performance.

When the pilots turned back to Seattle, the engines covers ripped off completely on landing and pieces hit the fuselage.

The machinists’ union has reached a deal with Alaska Airlines management for a two-year contract extension that provides substantial raises for 5,300 gate agents, office staff and ramp workers who load cargo.

As people have begun to balk at the sky-high prices, and some switch plans away from flying, demand has softened.

Passengers with bookings on June 1 had been dreading a repeat of the chaos on April 1 and again on May 1.

The union has been stalled for years trying to negotiate a contract that addresses concerns about work rules, scheduling flexibility and career security.

Passengers whose travel plans have been severely disrupted found little help from the airline in finding alternative ways to their destination, with customer service phone lines citing hold times of up to 10 hours.

The latest cancellations caused more chaos for travelers and drew complaints about Alaska’s service and support.

Will McQuillen, chair of the Alaska Airlines council for the Air Line Pilots Association union, said the problems run deeper than the turn of the month.

The company said its goal is to expand its fleet from 300 to 400 airplanes by 2025 and increase annual revenue by $400 million within the next five years.

Alaska Air regional carrier Horizon was forced to cancel all commercial flights in and out of Paine Field in Everett because of limitations on low-visibility flying imposed to avoid 5G interference.

In complaints to the pilots union and on private Facebook groups, Horizon Air pilots say that because the policy threatens to bar them from moving up to the more lucrative jobs at Alaska Airlines, it could threaten safety.

Each management volunteer had to sign up for computer-based training, followed by on-the-job training during the first shift.