TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin What would you do?

Today we received an update from AA with a flight change for October 29th indicating the obvious time changes, however upon closer inspection we noticed that our plane from Miami to SXM will be a Boeing 737-800 Max 8. I was under the impression that there was no clearance by the FAA of these planes until things were cleared up. Apparently that is not the case. So my question to you TTOL's is "How many of you would accept this change?"

They are certainly not cleared to fly YET. Why don't you look to see what other connections are available to you and what planes they are scheduled for, and if there is another connection that will work for you, call them and suggest that alternative routing. If they say they are going to charge you for it, I wouldn't pay. But if they will do it for free, go ahead and do it. If there's nothing else that would work for you as of now, I would sit tight and check it again in a couple of weeks.

Are you sure it is a MAX 8 or just the regular 737-800 series? Two different planes and a discussion just a few days about this and the designation of the planes.

Previous Discussion

I guess it would depend on what your concern is. If you are worried about flying on a Max 8, that would be understandable. However, (and this is just my opinion), given the publicity and scrutiny the Max 8 has been under, I am convinced that it will not be put back into service until it is proven to be totally safe to fly. Given that premise, I personally would not be concerned about flying on the Max 8 once it has been proven safe. If on the other hand you are concerned about the flight being cancelled at the last minute due to the Max 8 still being out of service, I don't think you need to worry. That 12:10 flight out of Miami is a staple of AA's itinerary to SXM and they would just change the equipment used for that flight. Just my thoughts.

And I just came down on that flight five days ago and it obviously was not a Max 8.

News said another problem was found to add to the first and all use of that plane has been cancelled. That coupled with todays news that Boeing laid off people may mean trouble for the business.

Agreed. I doubt the Max 8 will be back in the air even by October, and when it *is* it will have been completely vetted by the pilots.

So I wouldn't worry at this point.

Ditto to all of the above, but if you wait who knows what AA is going to do to your schedule. I would get 'proactive' real fast if this my why reservation and find comparable flights that do not involve these aircrafts. Ask yourself just how comfortable you would be flying in one of these things as the time approaches. This has been no simple fix with this aircraft, and my advice is to take action now. Especially when dealing with AA.

I wouldn't worry either but I would definitely try and change it. Worrying and doing nothing is useless but being pro-active as mentioned is the way to go. You could get bumped at the last minute to a not so nice flight since the configs are different for the MAX....and if they don't change without cost keep a record of your request just in case the inevitable happens Maybe it will hold some weight

I am SOOOO torn between using a bunch of AA miles for a January flight or paying JB's much higher but more reliable prices. Got a messed up return with my last SXM try with AA.....

I would stay booked and if anything make sure that you are not in economy and instead are in the main cabin or business. I would not fear flying in one of the jets, but if the type of jet is changed priority would be to those with higher class tickets. I personally don't consider booking the economy lowest fares on any carrier.

I have been on that flight probably 20 times over the past 24 years. Other than a few minor time changes (minutes not hours), there have been no major changes to that flight. While I have learned to never say never, I would be shocked if there were any major interruptions to that flight.....too many folks connecting-both flying down and returning.

Are you sure it's a Max 8? The 737-800 is a different plane entirely.

The problem is not the route but the aircraft booked



That would be the definite question. There are definitely MAX8 flights booked MIA/SXM/MIA in September and there are also other flights the same day on different aircraft. The OP said MAX8 was indicated so that's the issue

Yes it is the Max 8. Says so on our change itinerary

I tend to agree with this viewpoint. Just cannot figure to why AA would "jump the gun" and list this plane as the one this early. Wouldn't it be reasonable to wait until the FAA has cleared it to fly before announcing that this is the type of plane change? Cannot think that too many people who know ahead of time would be willing to book with AA with them promoting using the Max 8. By the way, I would have used Delta as we had in March, had it not been that AA told us that we had to use our dividend miles or lose them. First time ever that we had "normal" flights. (i.e. not 3 connections and arriving a day later) offered to us.

See my previous post. AA's website does in fact list the Max 8 as the scheduled aircraft for that flight. However, it will only fly if it has been thoroughly tested and vetted. Otherwise, I believe they will use the same equipment they are using now. Either way, I believe that flight has no other significant changes for the reasons already mentioned.

I read in a news article that American is scheduling the 737 Max 8 for September. I very much doubt if they will be cleared to fly by then. They will reschedule on another aircraft if that is the case. Just curious why you have booked your flight with American in the first place.