Southwest Airlines Cancels More Boeing 737 MAX Flights

Image: Southwest 737 MAX 8. (Image courtesy of Southwest)

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:55 AM ET, Thu January 16, 2020

Southwest Airlines announced Thursday it has extended cancellations of Boeing 737 MAX flights through June 6.

Southwest announced on its official website the changes would result in an estimated 330- weekday flights being canceled from its entire peak-day schedule of more than 4,000 daily journeys.

As the largest operator of MAX airplanes in the world with 34, Southwest had previously canceled 737 MAX flights through April 13. The latest changes come after the airline's pilots filed a lawsuit against Boeing over lost income.

In addition, Southwest announced in December the carrier plans to share approximately $125 million in 737 MAX compensation with its employees. The airline reached a confidential agreement with Boeing to receive compensation for a portion of projected financial damages stemming from the grounding of the MAX since March.

In total, the grounding of the 737 MAX fleet has resulted in more than 10,000 monthly flights being canceled by airlines owning the impacted planes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently said that despite the impact on travel, the agency wouldn't approve the aircraft until they are deemed safe by federal regulators.

The announcement regarding Southwest's schedule changes comes just a day after American Airlines pushed back the date it will resume using the troubled Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to June 4.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.