I flew on the first Boeing 737 Max passenger flight in the US since its grounding. Here s what it was like. Chris Sloan Author Chris Sloan waiting to board the Boeing 737 Max in Miami on Tuesday. On Tuesday, American Airlines became the first US airline to fly the Boeing 737 Max since it was grounded in March 2019 following two crashes in a five-month span. Writer Chris Sloan was onboard the three-hour flight from Miami to New York with 95 other people made up of press, bloggers, airline employees, and regular passengers. Sloan says he felt completely safe and comfortable on the Max, and that the flight went smoothly save minor bumps during the descent into windy New York.
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As good as the news was for U.S. airlines with additional aid as part of the $900 billion Covid-19 relief package approved by Congress on Monday, a stark reality awaits.
The package doles out $15 billion in additional payroll support to airlines that will see them bring back the more than 30,000 employees who were involuntarily furloughed after October 1. These are furloughs that occurred when Congress failed to extend the provision in the first federal coronavirus aid package, or CARES Act, by its September 30 expiry.