从1月16日开始,美国航空公司将使用波音737马克斯飞机恢复客运航班。
该航空公司停止按照联邦命令驾驶飞机降落所有737 MAX飞机在该模型卷入两起事故后——2018年10月狮子航空公司610航班和3月埃塞俄比亚航空公司302航班——导致346人死亡。联邦航空管理局还命令联合航空公司和西南航空公司停飞737 MAX飞机撞车后。
美国航空公司将是最后一家恢复驾驶737 MAX的国内航空公司联合航空计划于12月19日开始，西南航空计划于2020年1月5日将飞机重新轮换。
美国航空公司在一份声明中告知客户，“美国航空公司预计，即将对737 MAX进行的软件更新将导致飞机在今年晚些时候重新认证，并在2020年1月恢复商业服务。我们一直与联邦航空管理局和交通部保持联系。”
美国航空公司、西南航空公司和联合航空公司被命令停飞所有波音737飞机在2018年10月和2019年3月撞车之后。
截至8月，西南航空和美国航空拥有世界上最大的737架最大机队中的两架。美国航空公司、西南航空公司和联合航空公司之间订购了448架737架MAXs，他们似乎有信心美国联邦航空局将重新认证这些飞机，飞行公众也将信任波音公司。
拥有波音737最大机队的航空公司。
在9月份的一次会议上，联邦航空局的管理人员会见了安全监管机构和专家，以确保737 MAX的更新符合安全标准。
美国联邦航空局局长史蒂夫·迪克森在一份声明中说:“[欢迎我们的民航局同事、航空业以及对马克斯和美国联邦航空局认证程序的重要独立审查的反馈。”他还表示，“旅行者无论飞到哪里都需要同样高的安全级别。作为航空监管机构，我们有责任履行这一共同责任。”
当美国航空公司准备让他们的飞机恢复工作时，波音公司和美国联邦航空局一直在考虑这些安全问题，继续开发软件。美国联邦航空局通信经理林恩Lunsford讲述新闻周刊，“联邦航空局正在遵循一个彻底的过程，而不是一个规定时间表，用于将波音737 MAX恢复客运服务。联邦航空局将在认为安全的情况下解除该飞机的禁航令。美国联邦航空局正在继续评估波音公司的软件修改，并仍在制定必要的培训要求。"
对于那些尽管有最新消息仍害怕坐飞机的人，马丁赛夫沙丘一位擅长飞行焦虑的焦虑治疗专家告诉患者不要对抗它。“现在，我建议他们避开飞机好几年，直到建立起安全记录。一旦你知道了什么，你就不能把它从脑海中抹去——比如要求陪审团忽略不正当获得的确凿证据。”对于那些不能等那么久的人，赛夫建议患者通过询问飞行员在737 MAX的更新系统上接受了多少额外训练来获得一些安慰。
美国航空公司原本计划从12月3日起重新启用737架MAX飞机，但将最后期限推迟至2020年1月波音公司准备在今年晚些时候向美国联邦航空局提交最终认证包。联邦航空局的批准将决定737 MAX飞机何时恢复服役。美国航空公司的发言人告诉记者新闻周刊“我们的决定源自于以可靠性和可靠性为基石来运行我们的时间表的承诺。”
不幸的是，停飞将继续影响到一些与美国航空公司订有航班进入新年的客户。该公司预计，1月16日之前，每天约有140个航班——总计约13，000个航班——将被取消。他们的发言人说，美国人确实计划尽最大努力调整日程新闻周刊“我们的目标是在任何受影响的时期之前提前主动调整时间表，以便更好地帮助我们的客户和团队成员制定他们未来的旅行计划。”
AMERICAN AIRLINES WILL CANCEL 140 FLIGHTS EVERY DAY UNTIL IT BRINGS BACK THE BOEING 737 MAX MONTHS FROM NOW
Beginning January 16, American Airlines will resume passenger flights using Boeing 737 MAX airplanes.
The airline ceased flying the plane on federal orders to ground all 737 MAX aircraft after the model was involved in two crashes—Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Air Flight 302 in March—that left 346 people dead. The Federal Aviation Authority also ordered United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to ground their 737 MAX aircraft following the crashes.
American Airlines will be the last domestic airline to resume flying the 737 MAX, with United scheduled to begin December 19 and Southwest bringing the planes back into rotation on January 5, 2020.
In a statement, American Airlines informed customers, "American Airlines anticipates that the impending software updates to the 737 MAX will lead to recertification of the aircraft later this year and resumption of commercial service in January 2020. We are in continuous contact the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation."
American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines were ordered to ground all Boeing 737 Max aircraftsfollowing crashes in October 2018 and March 2019.
As of August, Southwest and American Airlines had two of the world's largest 737 MAX fleets. With orders in for 448 more 737 MAXs between them, American, Southwest and United seem confident the FAA will re-certify the planes and that the flying public will put their trust back in Boeing.
Airlines with Boeing 737 Max fleets.
At a meeting in September, FAA administrators met with safety regulators and experts to ensure that updates made to the 737 MAX would meet safety standards.
FAA administrator Steve Dickson said in a statement, "[W]e welcome feedback from our fellow civil aviation authorities, the aviation industry and the important independent reviews of the MAX and the FAA's Certification process." He also stated "Travelers demand the same high level of safety no matter where they fly. It is up to us as aviation regulators to deliver on this shared responsibility."
While U.S. airlines prepare to put their aircraft back to work, Boeing and the FAA have continued working on software with these safety concerns in mind. FAA Communications Manager Lynn Lunsford told Newsweek, "The FAA is following a thorough process, not a prescribed timeline, for returning the Boeing 737 MAX to passenger service. The FAA will lift the aircraft's prohibition order when it is deemed safe to do so. The FAA is continuing to evaluate Boeing's software modification and is still developing necessary training requirements."
For those who still fear flying despite the updates, Martin Seif, an anxiety treatment specialist with expertise in flight anxiety, tells patients not to fight it. "Now, I suggest they avoid the plane for several years, until a safety record is built up. Once you know something, you can't erase it from your mind—like asking the jury to ignore hard evidence improperly obtained." For those who can't wait that long, Seif advises patients to get some reassurance by asking how much additional training the pilot has received on the 737 MAX's updated system.
American Airlines had originally planned to reintroduce 737 MAX planes into rotation as of December 3, but pushed the deadline to January 2020 schedule as Boeing prepares to submit their final certification package to the FAA later this year. FAA approval will dictate when 737 MAX airplanes return to service. A spokesperson for American Airlines tells Newsweek, "Our decision stems from a commitment to operate our schedule with reliability and dependability as our cornerstone."
Unfortunately, the grounding will continue to affect some customers with flights scheduled with American Airlines into the new year. The company anticipates about 140 flights per day—roughly 13,000 flights in total— to be canceled before January 16. American does plan on adjusting schedules as best they can, their spokesperson tells Newsweek, "Our goal is to proactively adjust schedules well in advance of any impacted period in order to better assist our customers and team members with their future travel plans."
