American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth) has confirmed it will resume commercial B737-8 flight operations by the end of the year, initially deploying the type between Miami International and New York La Guardia.
"We will begin with non-commercial flights in early December before the official return to service date to demonstrate that the B737 MAX is as safe as every plane we fly at American. On December 29, we will resume scheduled service with two flights a day — or one round trip from Miami to La Guardia — through January 4. After that, we expect to gradually phase more B737 MAX aircraft into revenue service throughout January, with up to 36 departures from our Miami hub depending on the day of the week," Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said in a message to staff.
The airline has twenty-four B737 MAX 8s parked at Tulsa International, the ch-aviation fleets module shows. According to Seymour, all of them have been kept in "excellent condition" and will be reactivated as soon as modifications mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been implemented. American Airlines is also awaiting the deliveries of a further 76 units.
The carrier underlined that it will inform passengers in a clear way which flights are due to be operated with a B737 MAX. Travellers who would rather avoid flying on the type will be able to change their bookings.
"We know that restoring our customers’ confidence in this aircraft will come with time and importantly, transparency and flexibility. If a customer doesn’t want to fly on the B737 MAX, they won’t have to," Seymour said.
