Southwest pilots see February or March return of Boeing Max

Pilot-union leaders at Southwest say it could be February or March before their airline resumes flights using the Boeing 737 Max. That's much later than projected by either Southwest or Boeing. Union officials said Monday that the grounded plane's return will take longer for several reasons, including pilot-training requirements and possible changes to checklists that pilots are expected to perform when something goes wrong with a plane. The Max has been grounded since March after two crashes killed 346 people. Southwest, the biggest operator of the plane, has dropped the Max from its schedule through Jan. 5. Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said the union has been uncomfortable with Southwest's timetable. "On our side, we think we're looking at maybe even February or March," he said during a meeting of pilot-union representatives from several airlines. A Southwest spokeswoman said the airline is waiting for more information from federal regulators about timing of the plane's return. "We continue our work on schedule revisions but do not have any new information on timing for MAX return to service," she said.<br/>