After nearly two years on the ground, Boeing’s 737 MAX is becoming an increasingly common sight once again. This is particularly evident in the United States, where four airlines have flown this type since their recertification. This week, Simple Flying had the chance to speak to Bryce Rea, who flew as a passenger on each of these remarkable trips.
Return to post-recertification service
Last November, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) became the first authority to grant MAX recertification. This ended a 20-month grounding period forced by the accidents of Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, which had striking similarities.
Despite this, the United States was not the first country to see the type return to commercial service. This happened in Brazil, where the low cost operator GOL performed the first post-recertification MAX flights in the world on December 9th.
Since FAA recertification, four airlines in the United States have flown MAX: Alaska Airlines, American, Southwest and United. Bryce Rea, who runs the YouTube channel Skylite Productions, was a passenger in all of these sectors and shared his experiences with us.
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The grounding and recertification period was a long and difficult process for Boeing. However, Rea is confident that the manufacturer and the FAA used their time well. He claims:
“Now that the recertification process has been completed and the aircraft has been cleared to fly again, I have full faith that the FAA process was complete and addressed the issues that needed to be corrected. It is also worth mentioning that airlines have also invested a lot in this aircraft. “
MAX pre-grounding operations in the USA
Of course, it is important to remember that all of these airlines, except Alaska Airlines, had flown the MAX before their stranding. In fact, Bryce had flown this type before, from Miami to New York LaGuardia in June 2018. He notes that:
“This was the original route on which American presented the aircraft, on November 29, 2017. Interestingly, we never reached LaGuardia, as we diverted to Charlotte-Douglas International. The diversion was not due to an aircraft failure, but to a passenger medical emergency. “
Reservation transparency
Despite the MAX’s successful recertification, some passengers may still be wary of the aircraft. As such, carriers have taken steps to inform passengers of MAX services that this type will operate their flights. This is evident already in the reserve phase, as Bryce explains.
“It was very clear to all four airlines that you were booking a flight on a 737 MAX. I booked these flights specifically, but even a passenger who knew little about commercial aircraft would have realized that he was booking a flight on a MAX. All four airlines were ultra transparent during the booking process. “
For example, Rea notes that American included a note about MAX at the top of the reservation whenever it was opened on the airline’s website or app. Perhaps there was a particular emphasis for American, as it was the first airline in the United States to reintroduce MAX. His first post-recertification flight with the type flew from Miami to LaGuardia on December 29.
Alaska and America stand out
Although the four airlines were equally transparent during the booking process, their levels differed slightly with respect to the flights themselves. Two operators stood out for Bryce, who notes:
“Both American and Alaska made several announcements at the gate, informing everyone that their flight was operated by a 737 MAX. They also informed everyone that if they felt uncomfortable flying in a Max, they would be happy to transfer them to another flight for free. “
As we have already established, it would be expected that American, as the first carrier, would notice the presence of MAX. It is interesting that Rea also notes that Alaska Airlines has made a special effort.
However, this is also understandable, since his MAX flight was the first with the type, much less in the post-recertification era. The operator’s inaugural MAX service flew from Seattle to San Diego on March 1. Bryce reports that Alaska also “had two captains in the cabin, inducing their Director of Flight Standards and Fleet Captain ” for the occasion.
Less visible in Southwest and United
On the other hand, Rea says it was a much more moderate case for Southwest and United. Southwest’s first post-recertification MAX flight occurred more recently, when it flew from Denver to Chicago on March 11. Meanwhile, United had joined the party exactly a month earlier, flying their first MAX post-recertification service from Denver to Houston. Rea Notes:
“In addition to both airlines making a quick announcement that this was their first MAX flight since landing, I never heard any other announcements about the aircraft or the passengers’ ability to switch to a different flight if they wanted to. On the United flight, the fact that we were flying in a MAX was not mentioned on board until after we landed in Houston. “
A successful reintroduction across the board
Despite operators’ different approaches, Bryce told Simple Flying that “all four flights went smoothly. In the end, there were four domestic flights in the United States and, after going through the cameras, they were like any other flight. ”This is good news for MAX operators, who will certainly want flying on the aircraft to be as safe and comfortable as any other.
Although we talk about passenger comfort, this is also something that Rea addressed. He states that “with the new Boeing Sky interiors, and its unique ambient lighting and larger overhead compartments, you could say it was a new, more modern aircraft. ” That said, Bryce notes that airlines can modernize older 737s with these aspects, making them more difficult to distinguish internally.
Having traveled on these four flights, Rea hopes his Skylite Productions videos will help inspire confidence in MAX. As someone who frequently receives comments from people afraid to fly who use his videos to get used to air travel, Bryce says:
“I wanted people who might still have questions about MAX to be able to watch the videos and see that these flights were just like any other commercial flight they would normally take. Flying on the MAX is as smooth and uneventful as any other flight on any other aircraft. “
Having successfully reintroduced the type, or opened in the case of Alaska, airlines in the United States are increasingly increasing their MAX operations. Hopefully, this will signal the start of a brighter period for Boeing, ending the book in some difficult years. Bryce Rea echoes these feelings, stating: “I feel that this is the end of the ‘grounding’ chapter, and it is more and more for the Boeing 737 MAX. “
What do you think of the return of the 737 MAX to service in the USA? Have you ever flown the aircraft with any of the airlines mentioned? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!