UPDATE: When Will the MAX 8 Fly Again?

Six months after the FAA grounded the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, scores of the planes continue to sit idle across the country.

And despite the amount of media attention surrounding the MAX planes, the timeline for when they will return to service remains uncertain. What is certain is that US airlines aren’t counting on their return in the near future.

A near-constant topic in aviation news, the MAX 8 grounding was a direct result of two fatal crashes involving the jet aircraft in October 2018 and March 2019.

The only domestic airlines with Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in their fleets – United Airlines, American and Southwest – continue to make schedule adjustments that exclude use of the MAX through as late as January.

In September, American Airlines announced it was extending flight cancellations due to the MAX 8 grounding through Dec. 3. Airline officials stated that approximately 140 daily flights will be canceled during that timeframe.

“American Airlines remains confident that impending software updates to the Boeing 737 MAX, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing in coordination with our union partners, will lead to recertification of the aircraft this year,” the airline said.

In an earnings report on its website in late July, Southwest noted that it expects its MAX fleet will return to service sometime during the last quarter of 2019, based on information provided by Boeing. Southwest’s grounded Max 8s remain at an airport in Victorville, California.

“The FAA will determine the timing of MAX return to service, and we offer no assurances that our current assumptions and timelines are correct,” Southwes