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American Airlines announced on Sunday that it was removing the Boeing 737 Max from its schedules until September 3rd, sign that the grounding of its planes would disrupt travel longer than expected.
The 737 Max has been blocked worldwide since mid-March, following two fatal accidents that claimed the lives of 346 people. Boeing has made software changes to the aircraft, but the Federal Aviation Administration and its international counterparts have not yet approved the patches.
American, which owns 24 aircraft in its fleet of more than 900 aircraft, announced in April that it had extended flight cancellations with the 737 Max until August 19.
In total, about 115 flights a day will be canceled until September 3, announced Sunday American.
"By extending cancellations, our customers and our team members can more reliably plan their next trip to American," the airline said in a statement.
Even American Airlines customers whose flights were not scheduled on the 737 Max may be faced with canceled flights as the airline moves aircraft to service other high-passenger routes. Travelers whose flights have been canceled may request a refund if they do not wish to make a new reservation.
Other carriers, such as United Airlines, which recently added the now besieged aircraft to its fleet, have recently extended cancellations during the summer season, while carriers have the most need of planes. United and Southwest Airlines, which has 34 aircraft in its fleet of about 750 Boeing 737s, have removed the 737 Max from their schedules until early August.
The FAA did not specify when this would allow the planes to fly again. Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said last week that he expected the planes to fly by the end of the year.
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