If Boeing can satisfy the FAA and the airline industry, the 737 Max could be back in the air before the end of the year. There has been speculation whether airlines would continue to use the “737 Max” trademark name or if airlines will drop “Max” to avoid adverse passenger perceptions.
Southwest Airlines, which operates a fleet entirely made up of 737 aircraft plans to retain the “737 Max” identity. Southwest’s chief revenue officer Andrew Watterson said, "We will not change the name of the aircraft. That would be disingenuous. It will still be called the ‘Max’ for us."
Southwest’s position is based on the results of customer surveys, which concluded that “Southwest believes its passengers trust it to thoroughly vet the aircraft's safety.”
Once the aircraft is cleared, Southwest pilots will be issued revised operations manuals and the company expects it will take 30 days to train pilots on the aircraft’s systems before the 737 Max is back in passenger service.