American Airlines extends flight cancellations because of Boeing grounding
American Airlines is extending cancellations of flights involving the grounded Boeing 737 Max jet in a move that’s expected to inconvenience hundreds of passengers daily through Labor Day, including at El Paso International Airport.
Passengers whose flights are not scheduled on the 737 Max could also face cancellations, the Dallas-based airline said, signaling that it plans to prioritize high-passenger flights.
Some passengers on American flights departing from El Paso International have already reported flight delays and changes stemming from the situation. American serves hundreds of thousands of airline passengers out of El Paso every year.
American said passengers whose flights are canceled will be able to rebook at no cost or get a full refund if they don’t wish to take their trip.
“A flight that was not scheduled as a MAX flight might be canceled to enable our team to cover a MAX route with a different aircraft,” the airline said in a statement. “Our goal is to minimize the impact to the smallest number of customers.”
The airline said it removed the grounded 737 Max from its schedule through Sept. 3, about three weeks later than previously announced, in the wake of two fatal Boeing crashes that left 346 people dead.
The 24 planes represent about 2% of American’s overall operations. American is also canceling some flights scheduled to be flown by different aircraft, such as the original 737, to shift those resources to other flights.
American’s canceled flights are the most extensive among U.S. airlines. Southwest, which has 34 of the 737 Max jets in its fleet, has canceled flights only through August 5 at this time. United Airlines’ cancellations also run into August.
