by Donald Wood
Last updated: 11:08 AM ET, Fri April 12, 2019
As questions continue to arise regarding the plans for the Boeing 737 MAX after two deadly crashes, Southwest Airlines has announced the planes will be removed from service through at least August 5.
After previously suspending the planes through June 5 following orders from the Federal Aviation Administration on March 13, the carrier revealed Thursday all 34 of its 737 MAX aircraft would remain grounded.
Southwest owns more 737 MAX than any other airline.
Since the Boeing planes were grounded, Southwest has been forced to cancel about 3,500 flights, but the carrier has more than 750 total planes to help avoid further issues. The airline said it would notify passengers who already booked summer travel if their flights would be impacted.
Southwest President Tom Nealon released a statement, which read in part:
"Our Teams are working to further increase the Reliability of our schedule and reduce the amount of last-minute flight changes-especially during the upcoming summer travel season. With that in mind, we've now modified our schedule through August 5, 2019 to add further stability for Customers booking their summer travel."
"While the timing for the return to service of the MAX remains unclear, what is very clear is our commitment to operate a reliable schedule and provide the famous Customer Service you expect from us. Our revised summer schedule allows us to accomplish those objectives."
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