Southwest Airlines has eradicated the Boeing 737 Max jet from its schedule through Aug. 5, a key summer travel period. It’s unclear how many Southwest light outs will be canceled as a result.
There’s no diary 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 bigger airlines like American and United have canceled thousands of flights because of prolonged groundings. American, which conducts 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 speedy, and like American, has canceled 737 Max flights through June 5.
“The limited number of customers, who have already lawed their travel and will be affected by this amended schedule, are being proactively notified so that we can reaccommodate their depart plans well in advance of their travel date,” Southwest President Tom Nealon said in a statement.