The grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max Airplane worldwide is now in its fifth month and with no clear indication of when the plane will fly in the skies again, passengers should expect disruptions to air travel for the next several months.
The planes were grounded back in March following two fatal crashes in less than five months that killed 346 passengers and crew.
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With the planes out of service, airlines have canceled and change thousands of flights into the peak travel season.
So what does that mean for passengers?
American Airlines Passengers
Travelers with American Airlines tickets into the fall should check for cancellations and changes.
American Airlines, which has 24 of the 737 Max planes in its fleet of more than 900, recently announced that it would take the planes out its schedule through Nov. 2.
The company will cancel approximately 115 flights per day in October and the first couple days of November.
Travelers who are impacted will be able to rebook or can request a refund if their flight is canceled.
American Airlines said the decision to extend the Max cancellations into November allows “our customers and team members [to] reliably plan their upcoming travel on American.”
United Airlines Passengers
United Airlines officials recently announced that they are taking the Max out its schedule through Nov. 3.
The company will cancel 95 flights in October and said it will continue to try and offset the absence of the Max by swapping in other planes on the Max routes.
United plans to automatically rebook travelers and will give customers other options, including the option to cancel without penalty.
Southwest Passengers
Southwest Airlines, which has 34 planes in its fleet of about 750 Boeing 737 planes, joined American and United Airlines in removing the aircraft from its schedule through November.
That will mean the cancellation of 180 flights a day out of about 4,000, up from its previous estimate of 150 scrubbed daily flights, as reported in CNBC.
“By proactively removing the Max from scheduled service, we can reduce last-minute flight cancellations and unexpected disruptions to our customers’ travel plans,” Southwest said in a statement.