AA Has Taken A 'Phased Approach' To Return The Aircraft To Service

The 737 Max has returned to scheduled passenger service with Tuesday’s flight by American Airlines from Miami to La Guardia. The flight reportedly carried more than just some trusting passengers after the aircraft came out of nearly 2 years of limbo, it also carried the wife of the Captain, the first officer’s mother, and American Airlines President Robert Isom. 

No pressure, right?

The schedule calls, initially, for one Miami-New York round trip a day until January, when more will join the flock.

When the Max was cleared to start the propcess of returning to service, AAL noted that, "We know that restoring our customers’ confidence in this aircraft will come with time and importantly, transparency and flexibility. If a customer doesn’t want to fly on the 737 MAX, they won’t have to. Our customers will be able to easily identify whether they are traveling on one even if schedules change. If a customer prefers to not fly on this aircraft, we’ll provide flexibility to ensure they can be easily re-accommodated."

AAL has taken a 'phased approach' to return the aircraft to service. They began with non-commercial flights in early December before the official return to service date to demonstrate that the 737 MAX is 'as safe as every plane they fly.' On Tuesday, Dec. 29, they resumed scheduled service with two flights a day — or one round trip from MIA to LGA — through Jan. 4.

After that, American expects to gradually phase more 737 MAX aircraft into revenue service throughout January, with up to 36 departures from their Miami hub depending on the day of the week.

FMI: www.aa.com