American Airlines will launch Boeing 737 Max tours to bring back the confidence of the public following two fatal crashes.
The planes did not fly worldwide more than a year and a half ago following the two crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019. All 346 people on board the flights died.
The Federal Aviation Administration is still in the final phase of the recertification process for the planes though the agency has not signed off on the jets officially.
“The FAA continues to follow a thorough process, not a prescribed timeline, for returning the aircraft to service,” it said in a statement.
Boeing has modified the planes’ software including developing a less aggressive flight-control system that pilots struggled against in both crashes.
“We are seeing that finish line approach us and I think it’s a real finish line,” David Seymour, American Airlines’ chief operating officer, said during a town hall meeting with employees.
American Airlines plans to begin flights with employees after Thanksgiving, assuming the FAA will allow flights in mid-November, Seymour noted. An American Airlines spokesman explained that the company’s plans remain tentative.
The airline company plans to offer customers a chance to see the aircraft up close at airports, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, LaGuardia, and Miami, along with pilots and mechanics. The company also said that pilots can respond to customer questions through calls and video messages.
“They’re the ones that ... really have the credibility to explain the Max,” said Alison Taylor, American’s chief customer officer, in the employee town hall.
Customers of the 737 Max will get notifications and can switch to another flight if they do not feel comfortable, Taylor added.
“There are 346 reasons to be respectful and not have a PR campaign,” said Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association and a Boeing 737 captain. “When the Max is fixed, fully vetted and we’ve been robustly trained, then it will be time to just go fly the jet.”
American Airlines net loss
American Airlines net loss reaches $2.4 billion in the third quarter as the coronavirus pandemic slows down travel demand.
The airline company’s revenue fell by 73% in the three months ended Sept. 30 to $3.17 billion from $11.9 billion a year earlier.
American Airlines net loss swelled to $2.4 billion in the third quarter from a $425 million profit a year earlier. American recorded a per-share loss of $5.54, surpassing analysts’ prediction.
American shares dropped by 1.4% premarket. The company noted it has authorized a stock sale to increase up to $1 billion.
American Airlines is one of the airlines calling for the government to release a new assistance package as the industry struggles due to the pandemic.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines globally are expected to report a fall in revenues this year amounting to $418 billion.
Meanwhile, Airport Council International (ACI) World claimed that airports would experience a decline in income of around $104 billion.
IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac pointed out that financial aid packages granted by earlier this year by various governments to their respective aviation businesses were designed on the assumption that by this time, a recovery would be well underway.
De Juniac added that it was not the case currently and that the industry was still suffering deep “financial trauma”. He argued: “Without a second tranche of financial aid, many airlines will not survive the winter.”
