It has been a pretty terrifying 1-2 years in aviation. We have a horrifying amount of close calls in the air and on the ground. Far too many close calls due to ATC and /or pilot miscommunication. FAA is doing a deep dive into figuring out what the heck is going on lately.
Biden administration fights JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger in Boston court https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/jetblue-spirit-merger-deal-biden-trial-court/ BOSTON - A major business story is playing out in Boston federal court. The Biden Administration is trying to block JetBlue's proposed buyout of Spirit Airlines. JetBlue wants to buy Spirit for $3.8 billion, saying it needs to grow to compete with bigger airlines. But the federal government says if JetBlue gobbles up low-cost Spirit, there will be less competition and that will hurt consumers.
United Airlines Flight 811 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811 The aircraft had been flying for 17 minutes,[1]: 25 as it was passing from 22,000 to 23,000 feet (6,700 to 7,000 m), when the flight crew heard a loud "thump", which shook the plane.[1]: 2 About a second and a half later, the forward cargo door blew off. It swung out with such force that it tore a hole in the fuselage. Pressure differentials and aerodynamic forces caused the cabin floor to cave in, and 10 seats (G and H of rows 8 through 12) were ejected from the cabin.[1]: 8 [9] All eight passengers seated in these locations were ejected from the aircraft, as was the passenger in seat 9F. Seats 8G and 12G were unoccupied.[1]: 109 [9] A gaping hole was left in the aircraft, through which a flight attendant, Mae Sapolu in the business-class cabin, was almost blown out. Purser Laura Brentlinger hung on to the steps leading to the upper deck, and was dangling from them when the decompression occurred. Passengers and crew members saw her clinging to a seat leg and were able to pull her back inside the cabin, although she was severely injured.[9] The pilots initially believed that a bomb had gone off inside the airliner, as this accident happened just two months after Pan Am Flight 103 was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland. They began an emergency descent to reach an altitude where the air was breathable, while also performing a 180° left turn to fly back to Honolulu.[1]: 2 The explosion damaged components of the on-board emergency oxygen supply system, as it was primarily located in the forward cargo sidewall area, just aft of the cargo door.[1]: 8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncontrolled_decompression Modern aircraft are specifically designed with longitudinal and circumferential reinforcing ribs in order to prevent localised damage from tearing the whole fuselage open during a decompression incident. (In other words, the fuselage is protected from acting like a balloon would when popped.)