After years of covering the jet’s troubled history, I took my first Boeing 737 MAX flight and felt completely at ease.
Flying the Boeing 737 Max after a troubled past
Zach Wichter flies across the Atlantic in a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max and explains why the once-broken jet is now safe again.
- The Boeing 737 Max was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people.
- Regulators and Boeing addressed the flight control issue, and the plane has since logged hundreds of thousands of flight hours.
- United Airlines uses the fuel-efficient 737 Max on seasonal flights between Newark, New Jersey and Glasgow, Scotland.
Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have a suggestion for a future topic? Fill out the form or email us at the address at the bottom of this page.
ABOARD THE BOEING 737 MAX — After years of covering the history of airplanes, I finally took my first flight in the Boeing 737 Max. I wasn’t nervous and you don’t have to be nervous about getting on a plane either.
The Boeing 737 Max is probably the most important airplane of my career. Two consecutive crashes of this type of aircraft in 2018 and 2019 were major news events that led me to cover the aviation industry.
When United Airlines began offering seasonal daily nonstop flights between Newark, New Jersey, and Glasgow, Scotland, I finally had the opportunity to fly on the plane that has been so instrumental to my career.
Despite a tainted early operational history with two crashes killing a total of 346 people, the MAX proved to be a capable airplane. The world’s 737 Max planes have already logged hundreds of thousands of flight hours and are a safe way to fly in friendly skies after ironing out some initial serious technical issues, according to aviation analysis firm Cirium.
Here’s how we got here and why I wasn’t nervous about taking my first 737 Max flight.
737 Max crashes
The Boeing 737 Max was developed to help Boeing compete with Airbus. The 737 series of aircraft has been the world’s best-selling single-aisle jet for decades, but Airbus lost out to Boeing when it introduced the A320neo series of jets.
The A320 was Airbus’ answer to the 737, and the neo (specifying new engine options) was a more fuel-efficient version of the European manufacturer’s jet.
Boeing didn’t want to be left behind as neo orders surged, nor did they want to take the time to design an entirely new aircraft from scratch. So Boeing changed the decades-old 737 design by mounting longer, larger engines higher and further forward on the wings.
These engines made the new generation 737 more fuel efficient, but they also changed the jet’s flight characteristics. To compensate, Boeing quietly introduced the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). It’s a computer program that helps the new 737 fly more like previous-generation aircraft, reducing the need for costly additional training for pilots.
But that system would be deadly.
MCAS relied on only one sensor for critical data input and could override pilot commands to control the aircraft. These defects were at the center of two fatal crashes early in the 737 Max’s life.
In 2024, another Boeing 737 Max lost part of its fuselage shortly after takeoff, further increasing scrutiny of the troubled jet.
Boeing, airlines, and regulatory responses
The first crash occurred on a Lion Air flight in Indonesia in 2018, killing 189 people. Boeing and regulators insisted it was a tragic coincidence, but when the second Max crashed in Ethiopia just a few months later, killing 157 people, it was clear there was a problem.
Ultimately, the world’s 737 Max fleet was grounded from March 2019 to November 2020 as Boeing and regulators addressed flight control issues.
Boeing has not issued any new statements in response to this column, but the company has previously emphasized how it has improved safety on its 737 Max production line, including by increasing training and eliminating defects early in the manufacturing process.
The aircraft has since returned to service and there have been no major safety issues since then.
How United chose the 737 Max for its Glasgow flight
For United Airlines, the 737 Max was the obvious choice for its seasonal daily service from Newark to Glasgow.
Improved fuel efficiency compared to the previous generation 737 allows the Max to fly further than previous generations.
“In the mid-sized market of Glasgow, the 166-seat 737 Max 8 is currently the best option to efficiently serve the market. It is also ideal for a demand profile that involves primarily leisure travelers and some business travel,” Matt Stevens, vice president of international networks at United Airlines, said in an email. “We always try to align our aircraft with market trends and find the option that best suits our customers’ needs while remaining economical.”
While economy passengers are provided with standard seats and meals, premium cabin passengers should note that this plane is primarily configured for domestic flights. This means there are no lie-flat seats on the overnight leg to Europe.
Is the 737 Max safe to fly?
You can say “yes” without hesitation.
That’s not to trivialize the tragedy of the earlier 737 Max crashes, but to acknowledge that Boeing, airlines and regulators took those events seriously and addressed the issues.
The flight to and from Scotland was smooth and I could have easily forgotten what kind of plane I was on if it wasn’t for the safety card that said 737 Max on the cover.
It’s easy to feel anxious about flying on a plane that’s been involved in a major disaster, but don’t worry, there’s no need to worry. The entire aviation industry prioritizes safety, and the Boeing 737 Max wouldn’t be flying hundreds of flights each day if it wasn’t ultimately a safe plane.
The reporter for this article received access from United Airlines. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and can be reached at zwichter@usatoday.com.
