Not a good look for Boeing….
But a message to the company….
American Airlines said Sunday that it would extend flight cancellations for Boeing 737 Max aircraft by four months while it waits for Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration to fix and recertify the planes’ flight-control systems, which have been implicated in two deadly plane crashes in recent months. The cancellations will affect about 115 flights per day through Aug. 19.
The move reflects a growing realization among Boeing’s airline customers that a worldwide grounding of Boeing jets, now in its fourth week, is unlikely to wrap up soon. In early April, the company took the extraordinary step of cutting its 737 Max production rate from 52 per month to 42. And Southwest Airlines, the other U.S. airline that has 737 Max 8 jets, also has canceled flights involving the aircraft through August.
In a letter to pilots and employees, American Airlines President Robert Isom and CEO Doug Parker said the airline is confident that Boeing and the FAA will recertify the Max jet before mid-August, at which time the airline would bring the planes back into service as spares to supplement its operations throughout the summer…
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