American Airlines today is returning the Boeing 737 MAX to service, with one roundtrip flight daily between Miami and New York’s LaGuardia Airport through Jan. 4.
“We expect to phase more of the aircraft into our schedule through January, with up to 36 departures from Miami,” the Fort Worth-based airline said in a recent release.
The aircraft was grounded by global aviation authorities in March 2019 after two fatal crashes. The Federal Aviation Administration in November cleared the plane to fly in the United States again, with changes in design, software, and flight crew training to confront the problems that led to the crashes.
American said it’s maintained its 24 737 MAX aircraft “so they’re in excellent condition” by running the engines and auxiliary power units; operating flight controls; checking tires and fuel tanks; and exercising key systems.
“We will complete all maintenance requirements in the (FAA) Airworthiness Directive, including updating our software,” American said. “Our FAA-licensed aviation maintenance technicians will sign off on every plane as they do with our other aircraft.”
To allay the fears of travelers who “may want to wait to fly on a 737 MAX,” American said it will notify passengers if there’s an aircraft swap into a MAX due to a schedule change and allow rebookings in those cases. Airlines typically identify aircraft in their ticket reservations systems so passengers can readily see what airplane they’re flying, and American said it will identify MAX flights on its booking platform.
American said passengers who have booked a flight on a MAX and want to change can:
- Rebook on the next available flight, in the same cabin, for free;
- Cancel for a travel credit on a future flight;
- Change your trip within 300 miles for no extra charge.