Southwest pilots say Boeing's Max won't fly without new contract

Southwest Airlines will be the first carrier to receive Boeing’s new Max version of its best-selling 737 aircraft. Those planes may sit idle unless a new contract with the carrier’s 8,000 pilots is reached. Their union says the Max isn’t listed in the current labour agreement as an aircraft they can fly, a common practice in the industry. Southwest says the new plane is just like others in the existing contract except for an updated engine, and doesn’t have to be specifically named. The disagreement is the latest between the airline and the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, whose members rejected a proposed accord in November. The two sides start a fresh round of meetings March 22, and the upcoming arrival of the Max may add urgency to the talks. Southwest expects to receive its first plane in Q3 of 2017. <br/>