Southwest pilots don't expect 737 MAX to return until Feb

Pilots at Southwest Airlines, the largest operator of the Boeing 737 MAX jet in the US, believe the plane won't return to service until February 2020, as much as two months later than the aircraft manufacturer's target.

Like competitors American and United, Southwest Airlines, which has a MAX fleet of 34, has said it expects the MAX to resume commercial flights in January. Boeing believes the aircraft will return to service in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) has sued Boeing, alleging the manufacturer "deliberately misled" the airline about MAX, forcing the cancellation of about 30,000 flights and costing the pilots about $100 million in lost wages. The airline has said it will share any payment from Boeing over the MAX grounding with employees.

SWAPA's lawsuit, filed in Dallas, alleges that Boeing "abandoned sound design and engineering practices, withheld safety critical information from regulators and deliberately misled its customers, pilots and the public about the true scope of design changes to the 737 MAX".

In a statement, Boeing said the lawsuit is "meritless" and pledged to "vigorously defend against it". Boeing said it will continue to work with the airline and its pilots to guarantee the safe return of the MAX to service.

"We continue to support the regulators and our customers as we work to safely return the MAX to service," Boeing said.

American Airlines has canceled MAX flights through December and its pilots also seek compensation for lost pay stemming from the plane's grounding, but they have not filed a lawsuit.

Boeing has yet to submit updated software for the plane's anti-stall device to the Federal Aviation Administration for review. Other regulators then must approve the plane, and that could mean it will return to service at different times in different jurisdictions.