Would you fly on a Boeing 737 Max 8?

[Pupsandturtles]

They are approved in the US (and maybe some other places) and we are due to fly on one soon. They say the software issue has been fixed, but clearly, they can be wrong about safety. Other flights/ airlines are available but with less ideal flight times.

I don’t feel great about it. Would you go or switch to another airline?

and the airbus was nicknamed the 'scare-bus'.

No I'd much rather book onto a different flight.

Keep your seatbelt on! And don't sit near the emergency exit!

It'll come up on your booking. Non plane geek types likely don't pay much attention. It may not be written out in full though.

But in general.. avoid shitty airlines and if flying with an airline you don't know, in other parts of the world eg. Asia, always check the safety record online first. For example Indonesia id only fly on an airline that's allowed to operate inside EU airspace, like Garuda. Even though they're often a lot more expensive. Worth it to me!

I would.

Seatbelt on yes, as much as possible.

However and for info the plug that blew out on Alaskan was not an emergency exit..it was in simple terms a blanked off/supposedly sealed door opening, hidden from view from the passengers behind normal cabin trim.

The victims in the second crash may feel differently.... Boeing insisted the planes were safe and then another one crashed. Profits are always at the forefront of commercial decisions, then safety a close second.

I would if there was literally no other option but i'd be very uneasy about it. We mostly use Easyjet for short haul, they don't operate any Boeings!

The video of that flight is horrific. It's a miracle that on a mostly full flight with only 7 seats unoccupied 2 of them were in that row!

. It's a miracle that on a mostly full flight with only 7 seats unoccupied 2 of them were in that row!

Ah, there's been some fairly informed discussion/speculation about whether that was a coincidence or not.

It's been stated the aircraft had a history of pressurisation problems prior to the incident sector (it had been taken off long range over water operations as a result)..it will interesting to know whether those empty seats adjacent to the plug had been blocked off from being used because of perhaps noise levels (possible if there were due to airflow/leaks) in the area or they really were empty simply by chance...

As I say, all just speculation I'm reading from from engineering type people but it's going to be interesting to see what the FAA/NTSB find out - not just about the incident flight but about what had happened on previous flights and what Alaskan had done in the way of fault finding.

I’d fly on whatever plane was provided as I haven’t heard of any scandal/issues/whatever you’re referring to and therefore wouldn’t have when booking. Also never have had any idea what plane I am on in any past flights (except A380 which is pretty obvious). Worrying about my obliviousness now 😂

Checking flights for later this year with TUI......
Just says 738-189. What does that even mean?
I already hate flying and now the anxiety has ramped up.

Google suggests that’s a 737-800 in a 189 seat configuration.

Tui also have 737 MAX planes in their fleet but looks like yours is one of the older 737s.

Yeah that's right and I would be far less concerned about flying in one of those, the older the better! It's only the new Max 8 and now 9 that would worry me.

Agree with @Takoneko , looks like at the moment you are planned to be on a 737-800....

I'd switch to another one to be honest.

The 737 has admittedly been involved in more crashes than any other aircraft but that's because they've been around for 50 odd years with so many in operation.

Have a look on Flightradar 24 and click on as many planes as you can be bothered to, you'll be amazed how many 737's are safely in the air! My issue is with these new Max versions only. I would have absolutely no problem getting on any other variation 737.

I fly quite a lot as my work involves regular long haul travel. I’d prefer not to fly on one. I don’t really get a choice though. I fly Ethiopian a lot and as an airline they are okay (worst food of any airline though). It’s definitely the plane model that makes me nervous, not so much the airline.

I wouldn’t hesitate to fly on a 737-800. I wouldn’t want to fly on any of the 737 MAX planes, and for future bookings will be actively looking to book airlines with Airbus fleets.

I’m travelling on a 777-300ER later this year but with an airline that is in the process of replacing their fleet with Airbuses. I’m not worried about the safety of older Boeings but have real concerns about their attitude to safety more recently. As I think someone has already mentioned, the fact that they are asking the FAA to approve a new version the MAX (the MAX 7) despite a known issue with the MAX that could result in catastrophic accidents, tells you what you need to know about their current approach. It’s actually quite scary that the MAX 8 and 9 have continued to fly while Boeing have totally failed to sort the issue. https://apnews.com/article/boeing-exemption-safety-rules-max-10be423759080f64d4418019e4e4874d

Went on one last month, was fine

It never occurs to me to look. IMO flying is a risk. I trust the pilot & crew not to want to die, so they're going to do their best. Including not flying planes that aren't safe.

think how many flights those planes have done since when those two crashed.

There are currently no max 9's in the U.K. fleets.

@notimagain
ryanair have 136 max 8s and are globally the biggest operator. Many/most fly in and out of the UK- living under the flight path to Manchester we see them all the time. As well as their older 737s. Granted I don’t know where they are registered but a chunk are based in the UK absolutely.

unless you are a keen plane spotter it’s difficult to spot the difference between the max 8s and the older 800s (size of engines is the key-size is almost identical). Especially as ryanair gave their maxes a new “unique”
name- the 8200 I think- so as to not be associated with the the “max” brand. But maxes they are, 136 of them.

no max 9s operated by British based airlines.

@StillWantingADog

Yep, aware of all that but thanks anyway.

Thank you for replying.
Would an airline state 737 Max, do you know?
A quick google suggests that as the 737 max are 'newer' versions of the old 737s, they might be simply be known as 737.
Thank you

You said Ryanair only have 8 maxes -
they have 136 so there is a significant chance of any Ryanair flight out of/into the UK being on one

but back to the main point, I would not personally worry. The Alaska incident was relevant to 9s only. I think it’s testament to the safety of the airplane that it wasn’t adversely affected and landed without incident. But doesn’t look good for Boeing generally, even if it “just” ended up being a loose bolt rather than a fundamental issue

The max 8 is probably one of the safest planes out there at the moment due to enormous amount of scrutiny it’s had.

They probably wouldn’t state it. I get the impression airlines don’t want to shout about flying the MAX planes. However, there would be a code for it. The code for the plane you’re going on refers to the 737-800. It’s not a MAX, although TUI does have some.