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Ever boarded a plane, only to be told there was a mechanical problem that needed to be fixed before takeoff?

The pilot comes on the intercom and says the mechanics are working on it. You sit in your cramped window seat telling yourself it’s better to arrive safe than sorry.

Those mechanics are often calling support services in Seattle, where Boeing is based, describing the problem, sending them photos and working with engineers to find a solution as quickly as possible.

But as soon as March, there might not be anyone on the other end of the line for the mechanics to call for help. This could ground planes, disrupt travel plans and jar Hawaii’s tourism economy — and there’s no concrete plan yet to deal with it.

The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace — a union representing some 22,000 engineers, technicians and pilots at Boeing — is contemplating a strike to resolve an ongoing labor dispute.

“Places like Hawaii that are so dependent on air travel would be unintended victims of this conflict between the Boeing Company and its employees,” SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth told state lawmakers at a joint committee meeting Monday.

House Commerce Chair Angus McKelvey led a 45-minute informational briefing for legislators to learn more about the impact a Boeing strike could have on Hawaii and what the state could do to plan for it. He seemed reassured by testimony from President Mike McCartney and Jeannine Souki, a lobbyist for the Airlines Committee of Hawaii.

McCartney underscored his message that “Hawaii is open for business,” saying any disruptions would be mitigated.

“We’re just going to have to work through it,” he said, adding that Hawaii should monitor the labor dispute from the side.

The airlines anticipate “minimal disruption,” Souki said, although she was unable to quantify what that meant. She said the airlines are working on their own assessments and contingencies should Boeing go on strike.

Rep. Gene Ward, who sits on the House Tourism Committee, wasn’t satisfied. He said there’s a need to get firm numbers so the state can gauge just how serious the impact could be.

No one had specific data on how many Boeing planes serve Hawaii or how often maintenance is needed.

Goforth estimated that half of all the planes in Hawaii are made by Boeing, based on other markets. He said most airlines split their fleets between Boeing and another manufacturer to get the best price.

“I’m trying to get some numbers here,” Ward said. “(Tourism) is our bread and butter. Rather than opinions, we need some facts.”

Tourists spent a record $14.3 billion in the isles last year, boosted by more flights. There were 10.1 million air seats to Hawaii, McCartney said, mostly from the U.S. West.

“In the normal course of business, things go wrong with those planes — could be minor things, could be major things,” Goforth said. “There’s a constant interaction between the airlines and the Boeing Company to keep those airplanes in the air and fix those problems as quickly as possible. The vast majority of that work is done by members of the union that I represent.”

The most immediate impact to Hawaii would be on Aircraft On Ground support services, which Goforth said would “simply evaporate” should Boeing go on strike.

He offered this example of how AOG services are used:

“There’s an airplane. A luggage cart slams into it and dents the airplane. They call back to Seattle. There’s an office that’s staffed 24/7,” Goforth said. “They’ll send photographs back and say here’s the damage. Can we still fly the airplane? If we can’t still fly the airplane, how do we fix it as quickly as possible?

“So there’s this whole infrastructure behind the scenes that supports airlines and freight delivery,” he said. “Every time there’s a problem with an airplane, Boeing works with the airline to get that plane back in service as soon as possible. And 95 percent of that work is done by members who would go out on strike. So if an airplane has a problem, they wouldn’t be able to diagnose the problem to get it fixed.”

McKelvey told Ward that more data would be collected and forwarded to him. Souki added that she expects more information next week.

Boeing has been in labor negotiations since December 2011, Goforth said. The last contract expired in October 2012.

Union members, who want to keep their pension benefits, rejected the most recent settlement offer. Boeing wants to effectively reduce employee retirement benefits by 40 percent, Goforth said.

There’s another offer that union members will vote on next month. The union’s negotiating team has recommended rejecting it again.

If the employees do shoot it down, the union will ask Boeing to return to the bargaining table one more time but if a deal still can’t be reached there could be a strike at the beginning of March, Goforth said.