On Wednesday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced an "emergency order of prohibition" to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 aircraft in the U.S. All Boeing 737 Max in the air at the time would be allowed to reach their destinations but then would be grounded. "Airlines are agreeing with this," Trump said. "The safety of the American people and all people is our paramount concern."
Statements from North American Airlines That Use Max Aircraft
American: The grounding affects 24 aircraft for America, and the carrier is "working to rebook customers as quickly as possible."
Air Canada: The carrier is waiving all fees for customers who need to rebook. Its Max aircraft carries between 9,000 and 12,000 travelers daily, so "customers can expect delays in rebooking and in reaching Air Canada call centers."
Southwest: Passengers booked on canceled 737 Max flights can rebook on flights between the same city pairs for travel to occur within 14 days of their original travel date. Southwest does not charge change fees.
United: The carrier said its operational impact will be minimal, as its Max aircraft account for only about 40 daily flights, which can largely be made up through spare aircraft and rebooking travelers.
WestJet: The carrier is contacting travelers affected by the grounding to arrange alternate travel plans.
Most aviation authorities around the world had banned the aircraft type as of Tuesday, following a deadly crash on Sunday of a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines. The crash had similarities to an October crash of the same aircraft type operated by Lion Air. Transport Canada issued a directive on Wednesday morning to close Canadian airspace to the aircraft.
The U.S. FAA previously had said there was no basis for grounding the aircraft type. After Trump's announcement, the FAA said the reversal was based on "new evidence collected at the [crash] site and analyzed today" and on "newly refined satellite data available." Its announcement did not give a time line, saying the grounding "will remain in effect pending further investigation." The last time the FAA grounded an aircraft type, related to a battery failure issue on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it lasted more than three months.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are the biggest operators of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in the U.S and were the last two airlines worldwide still flying the aircraft prior to the grounding. United Airlines operates 14 Max 9 aircraft, which also are included in the grounding. Among U.S. carriers, the impact is largest for Southwest; its 31 Max 8 aircraft make up a little more than 4 percent of its total fleet, which numbers 750 Boeing 737s. The grounding affects 24 aircraft for American Airlines. Air Canada has 24 Max 7 aircraft, and WestJet has 13 Max aircraft, which make up about 8 percent of its 175 aircraft.
Prior to the grounding announcement, the Financial Times quoted CWT and a second, unnamed global travel management company as saying some clients had inquired about blocking bookings on that aircraft type for their travelers.