American, Southwest, United to voluntarily suspend Boeing 737 MAX planes

Democratic U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday asked American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines to voluntarily ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 planes after two deadly crashes in recent months.

"The American aviation industry has a long history of safety and excellence, due in part to the trust passengers and their families can place in the air carriers and operators," Blumenthal wrote in a letter to the airlines. "The common sense step now – until we have answers – is to ground these planes."