Get All Access for $5/mo

American Airlines Conducts First Public Boeing 737 Max Test Flight After Ban The airlines will resume passenger flights on the plane on December 29.

By Mariella Moon

the_guitar_mann/Getty Images via engadget

American Airlines is gearing up to become the first U.S. airline to resume commercial passenger flights with the Boeing 737 Max after the plane's 20-month ban was lifted. The company has completed a test flight with media onboard — a short 45-minute trip from Dallas, Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma — as part of a public-relations campaign before it resumes commercial flights on December 29. Boeing's 737 Max planes were grounded around the world in March 2019 following two fatal crashes within a span of five months.

Investigators determined that Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed due to, among a few factors, a sensor that sent wrong information to the flight control system. Boeing had to rewrite the plane's software, update its manuals and conduct key flight safety tests before the FAA cleared the 737 Max's return to service.

Related: Boeing Will Freeze 737 Max Production as FAA Review Carries On

According to Reuters, Boeing set up a 24-hour "situation room" to monitor every Max flight around the world to keep an eye on everything that happens, even if they're only routine glitches. American Airlines will also note on their website if a flight will use the 737 Max. Both American and Southwest will allow passengers to rebook their flights without paying a fee if the original one they booked was on a Max, as well. If reports are correct, Ryanair trusts Boeing to have done everything it could to fix the plane's issues. The budget airline is reportedly set to order 210 737 Max planes, more than double its original order of 75 jets.

Mariella Moon is an associate editor at Engadget.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Starting a Business

How to Find the Right Programmers: A Brief Guideline for Startup Founders

For startup founders under a plethora of challenges like timing, investors and changing market demand, it is extremely hard to hire programmers who can deliver.

Science & Technology

AI Marketing vs. Human Expertise: Who Wins the Battle and Who Wins the War?

Uncover the truth about AI in marketing and why it's a ticking time bomb for unprepared businesses! As AI revolutionizes the marketing landscape, understanding its long-term impact is crucial.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.