Is Max 8 safe to fly now?
On November 18, 2020, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Through this directive, the FAA mandated its approved changes be made to the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, and confirmed it could return to service in U.S. airspace.
One year since Boeing 's embattled 737 Max returned to service — following the largest grounding in aviation history — there appears to be a broad consensus in the industry that the plane is as safe as any flying today. “The question I get asked most frequently is, 'Would you get on a Max?
Despite all the worries about the reputational damage done to the type from the two high-profile accidents, Boeing's flagship narrowbody has been inducted back into service with confidence.
The Max was allowed to fly again in late 2020 after Boeing made changes to the plane, including to MCAS, the flight control system behind the crashes.
Preliminary investigations revealed serious flight control problems that traumatized passengers and crew on the aircraft's previous flight, as well as signs of angle-of-attack (AoA) sensor and other instrument failures on that and previous flights, tied to a design flaw involving the Maneuvering Characteristics ...
The critical factor for most airlines is how many passengers they can fit in the aircraft. Airlines have a lot of liberty to decide the cabins, seat size, and layout, with seating capacity varying across airlines. For instance, Ryanair has squeezed almost 200 seats in its 737 MAX 8 (which it now calls the MAX-200).
Airlines Flying The 737 MAX
An easy way, for now, to avoid the 737-MAX is to figure out which airlines are flying the plane, and when. If you don't want to fly it, the simplest solution would be to choose another airline.
According to experts, the model (737-800) is considered to be the safest aircraft ever made. The 737-800 belongs to the aviation giant's next-generation aircraft which also includes 600, 700, and 900.
Comparing the 737 MAX 8 directly to the 737-800 on numbers alone, it quickly becomes evident that the newer MAX series has a longer range and the ability to carry an extra 18 fare-paying customers in a two-class setup. The MAX 200's high-density layout also allows it to hold more passengers than one-class 737-800s.
- Air Canada - Canada. ...
- American Airlines - United States. ...
- The Ryanair Group - Ireland. ...
- United Airlines - United States. ...
- Southwest Airlines - Unites States.
Which airlines are using Boeing 737 MAX 8?
Airline | MAX 8 | MAX 9 |
---|---|---|
United Airlines | 16 | 30 |
American Airlines | 40 | |
Aeromexico | 26 | 10 |
Air Canada | 34 |
3,500 miles (5,700km) plus
According to Boeing, the MAX 8's theoretical range is 4,085 miles (6,574km), although the real-world limit will be less. As such, some of the following will surely have payload restrictions.

Boeing has canceled 369 737 MAX orders in 2021, leaving the year-to-date net 737 MAX order total at 190.
Boeing's 737 Max suffered two fatal crashes, in 2018 and 2019, that were shown to be caused by a design flaw and led to a global grounding of the aircraft. Those crashes resulted in the 20-month grounding of the 737 Max, costing Boeing tens of billions of dollars.
However, the MAX would have met certification standards even without MCAS, according to both the FAA and EASA. The presence of MCAS in Boeing 737 MAX was intentionally omitted from the pilot handbook.
One of the nation's best known airline pilots is speaking out on the problems with Boeing's 737 Max jetliner. Retired Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger told a congressional subcommittee Wednesday that an automated flight control system on the 737 Max "was fatally flawed and should never have been approved."
United States: President Donald Trump announced on March 13, that United States authorities would ground all 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9 aircraft in the United States. After the President's announcement, the FAA officially ordered the grounding of all 737 MAX 8 and 9 operated by U.S. airlines or in the United States airspace.
{mosads}The most visible difference between the two planes is size: the Max 8 is about 130 feet long and can seat up to 200, while the Max 9 is almost 10 feet longer and can seat 220. Max 9 aircraft are also less common, as only 41 of the 387 Max aircraft that have been delivered to airlines are the Max 9 model.
Union officials indicate that pilots like the Max and are confident in the changes from Boeing. Representatives of three unions said that crews were largely happy with the plane and added that, except at a select few airlines, training backlogs were the biggest challenge to getting more pilots in the cockpit.
...
The most popular airlines that don't have Boeing 737 MAX planes within its fleet include:
- Qantas.
- Air New Zealand.
- Rex Airlines.
- Air Tahiti & Air Tahiti Nui.
- Aircalin.
Are people avoiding 737 MAX?
Numerous surveys found flyers weary of the jet whose systems were faulted in two crashes that took the lives of 346 people. In December, a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that as many as 57 percent of respondents were not likely to fly on a Max again.
Maximum efficiency
The 737 MAX 8 reduces fuel use and CO2 emissions by an additional 14 percent over today's most fuel-efficient single-aisle airplanes – and 20 percent better than the original Next-Generation 737s when they first entered service.
“The 737-800 that crashed in southern China's Guangxi province 'is one of the safest aircraft ever produced in commercial operation. It's one of the most widely used aircraft around the world.
- American Airlines.
- Lufthansa.
- Finnair.
- KLM.
- British Airways.
- Delta Air Lines.
- United Airlines.
- Emirates.
Looking at the specifics, we can see that the Boeing 737 MAX beats the A320 with a higher max payload (46,040 lb vs 44,100 lb) and a higher thrust power. The 737 MAX 9 can also be reconfigured into a super-dense 220-seater variant (or in the case of the MAX 8, a 200-seater for Ryanair).
Airbus A320neo | Boeing 737 MAX 8 | |
---|---|---|
35.80 m | 117 ft 5 in | 117 ft 10 in |
123.00 m2 | 1,324 ft2 | 1,367 ft2 |
11.76 m | 38 ft 7 in | 40 ft 4 in |
2 | 2 |
The Boeing 737-800 was cruising at high altitude when it suddenly pitched into a near-vertical descent, plummeting into a mountain at extreme speed. Data from a black box recovered in the crash suggests inputs to the controls pushed the plane into the fatal dive, these people said.
Though this feature is designed for your safety, the airbag can get uncomfortable after resting on your hips throughout the flight. I'd recommend choosing seats in row 2 or 3 when flying upfront on the 737 MAX 8. Row 4 would be my second-to-last pick.
Southwest Airlines has 77 firm MAX aircraft on order in 2022. This includes 72 MAX 7s and five MAX 8 aircraft. In the fourth quarter of 2021, Southwest exercised options for 22 MAX 7s. However, on January 1st, 2022, the airline exercised an additional seven MAX 7 options and five MAX 8 options.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Boeing's troubled 737 MAX planes — which have twice crashed, killing 346 people — have experienced at least six mid-air emergencies and dozens of groundings in the year after an extensive probe cleared them to fly.
What is the longest possible flight you can take?
Singapore Airlines currently operates the longest flight in the world: a whopping 9,527-mile nonstop journey from New York to Singapore.
Which is safer: Boeing or Airbus? But this question is not really relevant, since both Boeing and Airbus have remarkably similar safety records. The differences between Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier are minor, all of them being more dangerous than Embraer but far safer than ATR or Sukhoi.
Again, a strong majority, 64%, said that they'd fly on the 737 Max on Day One of its reintroduction. Perhaps most surprising to us is that 35% of those who answered the survey said that they would have flown on it even if it the underlying issue hadn't been fully addressed.
Union officials indicate that pilots like the Max and are confident in the changes from Boeing. Representatives of three unions said that crews were largely happy with the plane and added that, except at a select few airlines, training backlogs were the biggest challenge to getting more pilots in the cockpit.
After manufacturing issues led to two incidents in 2019, the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded across the world. In 2021, after rigorous testing, Civil Aviation Authorities in many places in the world cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to fly again, including the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Brazil, and the EU.
The Boeing 737 NG models are the third-safest planes in the world with a crash rate of just .
Do pilots prefer Boeing or Airbus? Pilots will always differ in opinion. The general feeling is that Airbus aircraft on the narrowbodies (A320 etc) are slightly more comfortable in terms of space in the flight deck than a 737 for example.
The 737 Max without MCAS activated is a stable aircraft. It is an inherently stable design. The 737 Max can and was flown without MCAS activated (even by the same aircraft as crashed, the pilots of the previous flight pulled the stabiliser cut out switches and went to manual trim control). It is a stable aircraft.
It was a quiet and smooth ride, like I have experienced on every MAX flight I have taken since Southwest began operating the aircraft in 2017. I hope you will be reassured, as I am, to know all that has gone into making the MAX among the most-reviewed planes in the world.
The hardest planes to fly include personal aircraft such as the wildly popular Cessna 150/152, Cessna 162, and the Luscombe Silvaire. The hardest commercial aircraft to fly is the BAC Concorde. And the hardest plane to fly in the world is the US military-used U-2 Spy Plane.
Who flies the most 737 MAX?
When the FAA retested and approved the 737 Max 8 and Max 9, ending the grounding in November 2020, it required airlines to take the following steps before putting the planes back into service: installing new flight-control-computer and display-system software; incorporating revised flight-crew procedures; rerouting ...
“If a customer doesn't want to fly on the 737 MAX, they won't have to. Our customers will be able to easily identify whether they are traveling on one even if schedules change. If a customer prefers to not fly on this aircraft, we'll provide flexibility to ensure they can be easily re-accommodated.”
Register for free to Reuters and know the full story. The FAA said in a formal notice to international air regulators that 106 airplanes are covered, including 71 registered in the United States. "All of these airplanes remain on the ground while Boeing continues to develop a proposed fix," the agency added.
When looking at what seats gave you the best chance of surviving a crash, the middle seats in the plane's rear came out the best with a 28% fatality rate. The worst seats were on either side of the aisle in the middle of the aircraft, with a 44% fatality rate.