Southwest Airlines Grounds Boeing 737 Max Until at Least Oct. 1 as FAA Investigates New Problem

Southwest Airlines is taking Boeing 737 Max jets off schedules until at least October -- just after the FAA found another problem with the aircraft that has crashed twice in the last year and killed 346 people.Dallas-based Southwest had originally planned to put the 737 Max line back into service Sept. 2, but continuing delays will push that back until at least Oct. 1. Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said the delays were planned before Wednesday's announcement by the FAA that it had identified another problem with the planes Boeing would be required to fix.Southwest said the delay will take 150 flights out of its schedule. Southwest has 34 Boeing 737 Max jets in its fleet, the most of any airline."Southwest Airlines continues to await guidance from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration on the impending 737 MAX software enhancements and training requirements," said a statement from Mainz. "We are encouraged by the reported progress and proposed path forward for returning the aircraft to service, and we remain confident that, once certified by the FAA, the enhancements will support the safe operation of the MAX."Fort Worth-based American Airlines, with the second largest domestic fleet of 737 Max jets, said it has not announced any updates to the Sept. 3 date when it plans to put the planes back on schedules.  Continue reading...