Having previously cut the Boeing 737 MAX from its schedule until September 3, United Airlines (United) announced on Friday it has now removed the grounded jet from its operational schedule up until November 3, a month longer than several other North American carriers whose fleets include the troubled jet.
“United has gone to great lengths to minimize the impact on our customers’ travel plans,” the airline commented. “We’ve used spare aircraft and other creative solutions to help our customers, who had been scheduled to travel on one of our MAX aircraft, get where they are going.” When the grounding first took effect back in March, United canceled approximately 2,120 flights up until June. It has anticipated the cancelation of 1,290 flights this month, 1,900 flights in August, 2,100 flights in September and 2,900 in October. While United has a current fleet of 14 737 MAX planes, it had expected to have a fleet of 30 737 MAXs by the end of the year, which explains the greater number of now canceled flights as the year has progressed.
Following United’s lead, American Airlines (American) announced Sunday it has canceled all 737 MAX flights through to November 2. With 24 737 MAX jets in its fleet, and a further 76 on order from Boeing, American is having to cancel 115 flights per day and has confirmed that the grounding of the jet in March cost the company US$185 million in pre-tax income during the second quarter of 2019. Even when Boeing gets the all-clear for the 737 MAX to return to the skies, American estimates it will still take a further 30 to 45 days to provide its over 4,000 pilots with the necessary training Boeing’s updates to the aircraft’s operating system will necessitate.
