American carriers rebooking flights

Three airlines using Boeing 737 Max planes grounded by FAA

WASHINGTON— The U.S. travel system braced for possible disruption after President Donald Trump and the FAA on Wednesday grounded Boeing’s 737 Max planes indefinitely in response to two deadly crashes involving the jetliner.

The United States had been the last major holdout in letting the planes continue to fly, with dozens of other nations having grounded the twin-engine jetliner as a precautionary safety move. But hours after Canada join the nations grounding the 737 Max, Trump did the same, saying the “safety of the American people and all people is our paramount concern.”

“All of those planes are grounded, effective immediately,” Trump said during a meeting at the White House, adding that the roughly three dozen flying at the time would be parked after their flights ended. After Trump’s announcement, the Federal Aviation Administration said it made the decision “as a result of the datagathering process and new evidence collected at the site and analyzed today,” referring to the site of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max crash after takeoff in Ethiopia on Sunday that killed all 157 people aboard.

The three U.S. airlines that fly the 737 Max — Southwest, American and United — said they were working to rebook passengers. Southwest, with 34 of the affected planes, said customers booked on cancelled 737 Max flights could rebook. There will be no additional fees or fare differences for travellers who rebook within 14 days of their original travel date between their original destinations, Southwest said.

American, with 24 planes affected, and United, with 16, also said they would work with customers to minimize disruptions. American noted that it operates 85 flights with the 737 Max out of 6,700 total departures in its system.

United, noting that the 737 Max accounts for about only 40 of its flights daily, said it didn’t anticipate a “significant operational impact.”

Daniel K. Elwell, acting administrator of the FAA, told CNBC the decision was made based on enhanced satellite data that showed the track of the Ethiopian Airlines flight was “very close” to that of a Lion Air 737 Max flight that crashed off Indonesia in October.