American Airlines appears to be jumping ahead of the queue to get its pilots retrained to fly the Boeing 737 Max as soon as it is approved to return to service; it’s starting pilot training in November and expects to have the bulk of its 4,000 pilots ready by the end of January.
So far, no other airline has gone public with plans for the retraining which will be required as part of the jetliner’s recertification. Actually, American didn’t exactly announce it: CNBC was given a copy of a pilot memo that leaked the information.
In an official response, the airline didn’t deny the scheduling but pointed out it could change: “We have initiated the pilot training scheduling process, which can be adjusted depending on when the MAX is recertified. We remain in contact with the FAA and Boeing on the recertification process.”
Perhaps they’re being cautious: Last October AA was sure the Max would be back in the air by January 16, 2020.
