American Airlines will extend flight cancellations through June 5, more than a month longer than previously announced, as Boeing 737 Max planes remain grounded.
American previously announced it would cancel approximately 90 flights a day through April 24. The extension is sure to cause headaches for travelers, and hints at the industry disruption caused by a global grounding of the Boeing 737 Max.
Boeing is working to fix software shortcomings on the planes after two fatal crashes and an international probe. It announced Friday it plans to cut production of the 737 Max beginning in Mid-April.
American flies 24 of the 737 Max planes and said it is awaiting information from U.S. regulatory bodies. Customers affected by the cancellations will be contacted by American representatives with available re-bookings.
“We know these cancellations and changes may affect some of our customers, and we are working to limit the impact to the smallest number of customers,” the company said in a statement to CNBC.
Here’s the airline’s full statement:
American continues to await information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), other regulatory authorities and Boeing that would permit the 24 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in our fleet to resume flying.
In an effort to provide more certainty and avoid last minute flight disruptions, American has extended cancellations through June 5. This will result in the cancellation of approximately 90 flights each day based on our current schedule. By proactively canceling these flights, we are able to provide better service to our customers with availability and rebooking options.
American’s Reservations team will contact affected customers directly by email or telephone. We know these cancellations and changes may affect some of our customers, and we are working to limit the impact to the smallest number of customers.
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