These are some notable flights for the 737 Max, which was grounded from March 2019 to November 2020 after two accidents that killed 346 people. The flights come after the US Federal Aviation Administration last month approved the changes Boeing made to the plane.
But some American kites are nervous: A new poll by Reuters / Ipsos on Monday found that 57% of Americans surveyed said they would probably not fly a Boeing 737 Max when asked about the plane’s history. has not been informed. About 37% say they are likely to fly in it once it is in the air for six months or longer.
The same poll showed that some people are either not aware of the history of 737 Max, or that they have forgotten the problems of the aircraft. Of the U.S. pilots surveyed, 39% said they were familiar with the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents in October 2018 and March 2019, down from about 50% in a previous poll.
American did not disclose how many seats he sold on Tuesday’s flights, a 10:32 ET route from Miami to LaGuardia Airport in New York and back at 2:30 p.m. But late this morning, the airline’s website displayed only one main ticket still available for the afternoon back.
Most other aviation authorities have yet to approve the use of the 737 Max. But Brazilian airline GOL became the first carrier to offer passenger flights earlier this month, and Aeromexico resumed flights between Mexico City and Cancun last week.
Two other US airlines own the troubled plane: United Airlines (UAL) and Suidwes (LUV), which neither of them has added to the schedule yet. United said they plan to do so in the next three months, while Suidwes expects it in the spring.
Nearly all airlines worldwide have parked many of the aircraft they own, due to the lack of demand for air travel fueled by pandemics – so there is less immediate need to get the aircraft back in the air. But the 737 Max is more fuel efficient than the earlier versions of the aircraft now in use, so airlines have an interest in getting the Max back in the air.