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Chicago-based United Airlines said it will begin flying the Boeing 737 MAX again in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, rival American Airlines says it will resume non-passenger flights in early December and then planes it they will carry passengers at the end of the month. American said it will operate two flights per day (one round trip) on a Boeing 737 MAX between Miami and New York.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to return to service after being on the ground for 20 months, the longest stoppage in commercial aviation history. Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic 737 MAX operator, said in October that it does not plan to resume flights of the Boeing 737 MAX until at least the second quarter of 2021.
Grounding followed two fatalities
The ailing plane has not flown with passengers since March 2019 following the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, which killed 157 people. This incident occurred after a similar crash in Indonesia saw Lion Air Flight 610 crash into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff in October 2018. In that crash, 189 people lost their lives.
Following a thorough investigation, it was determined that an anti-stall device called the Maneuvering Characteristics Enhancement System (MCAS) was the cause of both incidents. Since then, Boeing has been working on a fix for the software so that pilots have more autonomy and can overwrite the system.
Pilots need more training
Although the FAA has approved the new software, it has also issued a directive stating that all pilots need more training on the Boeing 737 MAX before flying the plane. According to aviation enthusiast website Planespotters.net, United Airlines currently has 14 Boeing 737 MAX 9s with an average age of 2.2 years. On the United Airlines website, the Star Alliance member is taking FAA recommendations and guidelines seriously and will ensure that its 737 MAX aircraft are safe.
Actions taken by United include the following:
- Computer based education
- Hands-on training in a full flight simulator
- Test flights
Before the aircraft is deemed ready to return to service, each will undergo a series of test flights by the Boeing 737 MAX test pilots to ensure the aircraft are safe.
How to know if you will be in a 737 MAX
As if flying right now wasn’t stressful enough with COVID-19 runaway in the United States, passengers will now have the added worry of knowing they could be flying in a 737 MAX. One way to know if a 737 MAX is on the route you are flying is to visit the Flight Tracker FlightRadar24.com website and simply type in the flight number and the departure and arrival airports.
When you originally booked your flight, a Boeing 737-800 may be used. We all know that airlines have a habit of exchanging planes at the last minute. With FlightRadar24.com, you have the knowledge of the minute on which plane you will fly.
Are you ready to become a Boeing 737 MAX passenger again, or are you like me and will you wait a while before deciding that the plane is now safe to fly? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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