If you plan to embark on 2019 holiday travel via Southwest Airlines, be prepared for an unconventional or unexpectedly stressful booking process. The airline recently announced that it expects flight disruptions affiliated with the widespread grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft to extend into the holiday months – and this extension will undoubtedly alter travel plans and flight routes for thousands of travelers.
Flickr/Colin Brown Photography Airline regulators ordered the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max planes in March after two fatal crashes within the span of five months. These tragedies, which took place in Ethiopia and Indonesia, pointed to serious technical issues within the aircraft model.
Flickr/Caribb Following a series of intensive tests and trials, Boeing has identified a software fix that promises to prevent similar incidents in the future - but the new 737 Max updates won’t be fully implemented until fall 2019.
Flickr/yooperann This news increases the likelihood of extended travel disruptions at Southwest and other airlines, though Southwest is the first to publicly warn customers of the changes. Boeing itself has put forth millions of dollars to accommodate refunds following a slew of cancellations throughout the spring and summer months, and this expected upcoming schedule disruption threatens to leave thousands of travelers with limited travel options or exorbitant flight prices during the holiday season.
Flickr/Nicola While safety undoubtedly remains atop the priority list, Southwest customers should be prepared for a potentially frustrating wintertime travel experience this year.
Have your travel plans been affected by the 737 Max grounding? Do you plan to use an alternative to air travel during the upcoming holiday season? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. For another piece of airline-related news, check out our previous article here.
Flickr/Colin Brown Photography
Airline regulators ordered the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max planes in March after two fatal crashes within the span of five months. These tragedies, which took place in Ethiopia and Indonesia, pointed to serious technical issues within the aircraft model.
Flickr/Caribb
Following a series of intensive tests and trials, Boeing has identified a software fix that promises to prevent similar incidents in the future - but the new 737 Max updates won’t be fully implemented until fall 2019.
Flickr/yooperann
This news increases the likelihood of extended travel disruptions at Southwest and other airlines, though Southwest is the first to publicly warn customers of the changes. Boeing itself has put forth millions of dollars to accommodate refunds following a slew of cancellations throughout the spring and summer months, and this expected upcoming schedule disruption threatens to leave thousands of travelers with limited travel options or exorbitant flight prices during the holiday season.
Flickr/Nicola
While safety undoubtedly remains atop the priority list, Southwest customers should be prepared for a potentially frustrating wintertime travel experience this year.
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