In just the span of a week, American Airlines has revised their plan for grounded 737 Max aircraft to extend cancellations through August 2019.

The CEO of American Airlines, Doug Parker, made the announcement along with the company's president, Robert Isom, in an open letter format on Sunday, April 15, 2019.

"Our commitment to each other and to our customers is to operate the safest and most reliable operation in our history. To further that mission, we have made the decision to extend our cancellations for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft through Aug. 19, " Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, and Robert Isom, President of American Airlines, said in a statement.

This further action extends an earlier announcement made through a press release on April 7. By canceling all 737 MAX flights, American Airlines will be affecting approximately 115 flights per day, or 1.5 percent of their daily flight schedule.

Why is this happening?

On March 13, 2019, as a result of a series of tragic airplane incidents involving 737 MAX planes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary grounding notice of all of these types of planes currently in service for all U.S. airlines. For American Airlines, this means grounding 24 airplanes, affecting dozens of flights a day.

The ongoing plan is still to cancel flights using 737 MAX aircraft OR less-populated flights that could be used to substitute for 737 established routes. This extension of cancellation dates into August (instead of June) is the significant change.

The American Airlines position is that they are doing this to provide more reliable service for their peak-season passengers who are booking trips for this summer.

"...by extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans. Once the MAX is recertified, we anticipate bringing our MAX aircraft back on line as spares to supplement our operation as needed during the summer." 

How will I know if I am affected by this extension of cancellations?

If your flight is canceled, American Airlines will contact you directly by email or by phone. You can also check the American Airlines website to see if you are scheduled on a 737 MAX aircraft. If you worked with a travel agent to book your flight on American, contact the travel agency directly to see if your flight has been canceled.

Where they can, American is rebooking passengers on similar flights on other aircraft in their fleet. Where it is not possible, passengers can request refunds or change their travel dates for the same cabin class and destinations.

For more information, contact American Airlines Customer Service by phone at (800) 433-7300. For help in a foreign language, visit the Customer Service website for additional assistance. You can also go to your local American Airlines ticket counter to get help in person.

**All photos in this article are courtesy of American Airlines Facebook page.

Have you been affected by these canceled American Airlines flights? Let us know how it was resolved for you in the comments.