American Airlines Will Retire Fewer Aircraft as 737 Max Saga Drags On

With American Airlines unsure when the Boeing 737 Max will return, the airline will retain some older aircraft for longer than expected, executives said Thursday on their second quarter earnings call. American is making money, but there's no doubt the extended Max grounding is having an affect on its business. The airline, which said the Max grounding will reduce pre-tax earnings by $400 million this year, up $50 million from a previous estimate, shrunk capacity slightly in the second quarter, even though demand for domestic travel remains strong. In the second quarter alone, the Max groundings cost the company about $175 million in lost pre-tax income, it said. In comments Thursday, American executives said they're confident the Max can return by Nov. 2, as they have currently scheduled. But American's team has made similar comments before — in the first quarter earnings call, CEO Doug Parker said he was confident American would have it back by mid-August — only to push back