Southwest will rebook customers who don’t want to fly on 737 Max
Southwest Airlines said it will rebook customers for free who are wary of flying the Boeing 737 Max when the aircraft eventually gets cleared to fly again.
Acknowledging there is still a long way to go before the aircraft regains the confidence of the flying public, Southwest’s chief marketing officer says it will offer other options.
"If they’re uneasy about flying on a Max aircraft, we’ll be flexible with them," Ryan Gree told CNBC.
"We’ll be understanding of that and allow them to fly on a different flight without paying any difference in fare."
Southwest does not charge change fees but customers are normally liable to pay for any fare differences.
Southwest is the largest 737 Max operator, with 34 of the planes currently sitting idle.
The airline operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet and will fully disclose which Boeing 737 model will be operated on any given route.
"Customers expect us to be transparent and expect us to have a heart," Green added.
United Airlines also said this week it would waive any change fees for worried fliers.
Boeing last week said it has completed fixes to the airplane software but it is still unclear how long the FAA’s recertification process will take.
When it is cleared, there could be up to 150 hours of preparation work required for each jet, Reuters reported, citing officials at Southwest and other Boeing Max customers American Airlines and United.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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