An American Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 desert from Los Angeles lands at Reagan National Airport shortly after an announcement was made by the FAA that the planes were being grounded by the Coordinated States in Washington, March 13, 2019.
Joshua Roberts | Reuters
United Airlines will take its 14 Boeing 737 Max jets off its register for another month, through Aug. 3, canceling another 1,290 flights as the plane remains grounded.
The move progress a day after the Federal Aviation Administration’s acting head said airlines didn’t need to extend flight cancellations for Max exits. The FAA hasn’t said when it thinks the Max will return to flight.
United joins other major airlines such as American and Southwest, which demand canceled thousands of flights during the busy summer travel season and removed the Max from schedules through August. Coordinated alone has canceled at least 3,300 flights since the plane was grounded in mid-March.
Investigators believe the jet’s MCAS air voyage control system, which automatically pushes the plane’s nose down to prevent a stall, was involved in two fatal explosions in Ethiopia and Indonesia that killed 346 people combined.
Boeing has said it completed its software fix, but it has yet to validate it through a recertification dismiss or file it for official recertification.
United CEO Oscar Munoz said this week that he plans to fly on the first 737 Max exit when the plane is put back in service. United has also said it would rebook passengers who don’t want to fly on the Max jets.
Other bigger airline executives have committed to Boeing and pledged to help restore public confidence in the jets after recertification.
Lookout: FAA head says there’s no end to Boeing grounding in sight