Alaska Air Sued Over Hole in Fuselage

Six passengers on an Alaska Air jet that lost cabin pressure shortly after takeoff from Seattle filed a lawsuit Friday seeking damages.

The pilot was able to return to SeaTac International Airport and land safely after a one-foot hole developed in the aircraft's frame on Dec. 26.

The suit names the airline and Menzies Aviation, the company under contract to perform Alaska Air's ramp operations and baggage handling at SeaTac, as defendants.

"This jet was not airworthy, and yet it still took off, seriously threatening the lives of all those aboard," said James Kreindler of Kreindler & Kreindler, the New York law firm representing the plaintiffs. "The system terribly failed these passengers and the crew."

The suit was filed in state court in Los Angeles.

A Menzies employee operating a baggage cart reportedly collided with the aircraft and did not report the incident.

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