Airline customers can expect months of travel disruptions stemming from the Canadian and U.S. governments’ decision to ground the Boeing 737 Max 8, according to industry experts. Mary Jane Hiebert, chair of the board of directors for the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, said Wednesday that member organizations started getting calls from concerned travellers immediately after one of the jets operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed on Sunday, even before aviation authorities around the world started suspending flights using the aircraft. The calls haven’t let up since. “I think it’s a bit of a domino effect and we’re not really sure how bad it could be,” Hiebert said. The Canadian and U.S. authorities’ move to ban the Boeing model from their airspaces Wednesday sent airlines scrambling to make arrangements for passengers, with Hiebert predicting the fallout could last well beyond this week. She said it might not be simple for airlines to replace their Max 8s with other aircraft, as not all crews are trained to fly all plane models. And as airlines can book flights as much as a year in advance, any routes scheduled to be served by the Max 8s could see changes.“If the aircraft is grounded indefinitely then, yes, it will have a big effect,” Hiebert said.“The first two months are going to be the most critical. After that it might get a little bit easier as far as rescheduling.”How can you tell if you were booked on a 737 Max? Just three Canadian airlines were operating 737 Max 8’s before this week — Air Canada, WestJet and Sunwing. Allison Wallace, director of media and communications for Flight Centre Canada, said a customer’s booking information should state the type of aircraft being used for the flight, either by its full name or a three-digit code. The code for the 737 Max 8 is 7M8.Customers should check the codes carefully because other models of the Boeing 737 family aren ...
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