Southwest Suspends 737 Max Flights Through Aug. 5, Forcing More Passengers to Adjust Summer Travel

Southwest Airlines is removing the grounded 737 Max 8 from its schedule for at least two more months, until Aug. 5, the company told customers on Thursday. As a result, more Southwest passengers will have to adjust their itineraries to accommodate their summer travel plans. But at least they -- and Southwest -- will get an earlier start on the process.“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,” Southwest President Tom Nealon wrote to members of Southwest’s Rapid Rewards loyalty program.The Max has been involved in two crashes abroad, including one last month in Ethiopia. The plane was grounded by regulators in the U.S. on March 13, forcing airlines to cancel thousands of flights and strand some passengers. Southwest has 34 of the Max aircraft in its fleet, more than any other airline. The Max already had been removed from Southwest’s schedule through June 7. American Airlines and United also had extended Max-related cancellations through June 5.  Continue reading...