Airlines

Southwest removes Boeing 737 Max from flight schedule through early August as grounding persists

Key Points
  • Southwest Airlines has removed the Boeing 737 Max jet from its schedule through Aug. 5, which marks a key summer travel period.
  • It's unclear how many flights will be canceled as a result.
  • Other major airlines like American and United have canceled thousands of flights because of the prolonged groundings.
A Southwest Boeing 737 Max 8 enroute from Tampa prepares to land at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on March 11, 2019.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images

Southwest Airlines has removed the Boeing 737 Max jet from its schedule through Aug. 5, a key summer travel period. It's unclear how many Southwest flights will be canceled as a result.

Southwest suspended all 34 of its Max jets from its fleet of more than 750 Boeing 737 models after the Max's anti-stall software was implicated in an Ethiopian crash in March that killed 157 people.

737 Max not coming back any time soon
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737 Max not coming back any time soon

There's no timetable for the return of the Max, which has been grounded since mid-March. Boeing has slowed production and stopped deliveries as it works on a software fix.

Other major airlines like American and United have canceled thousands of flights because of prolonged groundings. American, which operates 24 Max planes and has 76 more on order, canceled roughly 1,200 flights in March. United has 14 of the Boeing 737 Max 9s in its fleet, and like American, has canceled 737 Max flights through June 5.

"The limited number of customers, who have already booked their travel and will be affected by this amended schedule, are being proactively notified so that we can reaccommodate their flight plans well in advance of their travel date," Southwest President Tom Nealon said in a statement.