United, American Airlines extend Boeing 737 MAX cancellations
Editor's Note
The three U.S. airlines that have the Boeing 737 MAX in their fleets continue to grapple with uncertainty about when the plane may return to the skies. The aircraft has been grounded globally since March 2019 after the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.
An automated flight control system is suspected of contributing to both disasters, and Boeing has been working with regulators, airlines and other stakeholders to address issues with the software that runs that system. The fix has taken longer than any of those groups anticipated, and the plane's return to service date remains uncertain. Airlines have continually revised their guidance on when passengers can expect the aircraft to fly again.
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The 737 MAX is the best-selling commercial jetliner in history, and its grounding has presented a major challenge to the airlines that already have the plane in their fleets. In the U.S., that's Southwest, American and United. Those airlines have collectively had to cancel tens of thousands of flights and have lost significant revenue due to their inability utilize their MAX fleets.
United was the latest to push back the date it expects the MAX return, saying on Friday that it has pulled the aircraft out of its schedules through Sept. 4.
Here are the current dates those airlines anticipate the MAX will come back to their schedules. This post will be updated with further updates, as needed, until the MAX resumes flying:
Related: 737 MAX woes send Boeing to first annual loss since 1997
Southwest Airlines — Aug. 10, 2020
American Airlines: Aug. 18, 2020
United Airlines: Sept. 4, 2020
Related: Southwest has suspended 13 routes since grounding of Boeing 737 MAX
Related: Study: Boeing must be 'hypertransparent' to win back trust on 737 MAX
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