(Chicago Tribune)
April 25, 2019 3:45 PM
Boeing won’t say when it expects its 737 Max to fly again, after two deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people.
But the toll on passengers and the nation’s air travel system — with the summer travel season around the corner — is becoming more evident as airlines report their earnings.
Here’s where things stand:
Thousands of flights continue to be canceled. Southwest Airlines said Thursday it canceled more than 10,000 flights during the first three months of the year because of wintry weather, unscheduled maintenance issues and the Max’s grounding. That’s the highest level of flights grounded at the airline since the third quarter of 2001, when flights were canceled because of 9/11. Flights are canceled through Aug. 5.
United Airlines, which has 14 Max aircraft — with more deliveries later this year — hasn’t decided whether it will need to cancel service beyond July, CEO Oscar Munoz said Wednesday while at an event unveiling the airline’s new paint scheme. “We’re all guessing,” he said.
American Airlines, the only other U.S. commercial carrier flying the Max, earlier this month extended its Max cancellations through Aug. 19, saying it was confident the aircraft will be recertified to fly before then. Until then, it means about 115 flights a day are getting canceled.
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