U.S. airlines returned Boeing 737 Max 9 planes to service in late February, after a weeks-long grounding order from the Federal Aviation Administration.
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When the Boeing 737 Max was grounded in 2019 after two deadly crashes, some passengers vowed to avoid the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ban on all variants of the 737 Max 20 months later.
However, travelers didn’t avoid the aircraft en masse once it returned, as anticipated by some in the industry. The factor may have been timing. The ungrounding was in November 2020 at the height of the pandemic, when passenger volumes were a fraction of a typical travel period.
If you’re scheduled to fly — or plan to book a flight in the coming weeks — here’s how to know what aircraft you’re flying on.
How do I check if I’m booking on a Boeing?
Before you book a flight online, you can check the aircraft type scheduled for your desired route. On search engines such as Google Flights, the grid of results usually displays the model along with the departure time, the flight number, any layover city and other details.
Travel booking site Kayak offers a specific aircraft filter on the left-hand side of its flight search results page. Travelers can include or exclude certain aircraft models from a flight search, such as the Boeing 737 Max 9.
In February, a Kayak spokesperson said usage of the 737 Max filter increased threefold in the days after the Alaska Airlines incident. The company released an even more granular feature — the ability to distinguish between the Max 8 and Max 9 planes. Previously, both Max models were lumped together.
Even if you have booked yourself on a different aircraft, the airline could swap out planes at the last minute because of an operations, mechanical or weather-related issue. You can also check the types of aircraft your airline flies
Which airlines fly Boeing planes?
Several major U.S. airlines fly Boeing planes, including:
United CEO Scott Kirby said in an email to customers Monday that the airline is reviewing recent incidents and deploying some changes.
“Unfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety. While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” Kirby said.
Which airlines fly the Boeing Max 9?
Among U.S. carriers, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines are the only operators of the 737 Max 9. A total of 171 aircraft were taken out of operation with the FAA grounding order in January, but they returned to service in late February. Copa was the first to return a Max 9 to service after the Alaska Airlines incident, Reuters reported.
