Transportation

I flew on Boeing 737 Max aircraft from United and American and found one airline to be a lot more transparent than the other — here's how the 2 compare

Thomas Pallini

2021-03-14T12:38:00Z

American Airlines and United Airlines were the first US carriers to resume passenger flights on the Boeing 737 Max.
I flew on Max aircraft from both airlines to see how each was handling the return to service.
American did the least to inform flyers that they were booked on a Max while United was proactive.

The Boeing 737 Max is back and here to stay.

Boeing has reported thousands of passenger flights have already been flown with the aircraft and more airlines are resuming service every month.

Its troubled past aside, the Max is still a groundbreaking aircraft and offers attractive amenities for airlines and passengers alike. Airlines love the aircraft's cost-saving economics while passengers will enjoy the ultra-modern onboard amenities like Boeing's "Sky Interior" complete with mood lights and larger overhead bins.

American Airlines and United Airlines were the first US two carriers to resume flying aircraft after a 20-month grounding imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. In February, I took flights on each of the airlines' Max aircraft to see how each airline was handling the delicate return to service, especially as passenger confidence in the aircraft plummeted after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines flight 302.

On American, I flew from New York to Miami, the same route on which the aircraft made its second debut post-grounding. And on United, I flew from Denver to Houston, Texas on the airline's very first Max flight since the grounding.

Both airlines had a similar onboard offering but the difference largely came down to how both informed passengers that they'd be flying on the infamous aircraft.

Here's how the two compare.

American resumed flying the Boeing 737 Max on December 29, 2020, with one daily round-trip between Miami and LaGuardia. In the months since, the aircraft has been gradually grown to more routes, primarily from Miami.

American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 — An American Airlines' Boeing 737 Max 8. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

United only resumed Max flights on February 11, 2021, from Denver and Houston, Texas but started strong with 22 daily flights on its first day, quickly increasing to 32 the next day and climbing.

A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock.com

Booking: Both airlines clearly state the aircraft that are being used for each flight when booking. Here's what it looks like on American's website...

Flying on an American Airlines Boeing 737 Max. Thomas Pallini/Insider via American Airlines

And here's what it looks like on United's. If travelers know to look, they will see exactly which aircraft will be used for their flight.

Flying on a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. Thomas Pallini/Insider via United Airlines

United takes it one step further, however, with that explicit warning that the customer has selected a flight on the Max.

American doesn't have a clear warning but the Max name is not hidden at any point.

Flying on American Airlines Boeing 737 Max — Flying on an American Airlines Boeing 737 Max. Thomas Pallini/Insider via American Airlines

The one exception is that United doesn't immediately show aircraft type on connecting itineraries unless customers select "details." But even then, the warning will still show when reviewing the flight details before purchase.

United Airlines 737 Max — Flying on a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9. Thomas Pallini/Insider via United Airlines

Winner: United Airlines. The airline makes it very clear that you're flying on a Max and goes a step further to include a heads up once a customer has selected their flights.

Check-in: The Max name remained on both of my reservations during check-in. Here's what it looked like on United...

And here's what it looked like on American.

Winner: Tied. Both airlines did have the Max name displayed during check-in.

Drew Angerer and P — American Airlines and United Airlines Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Drew Angerer/Getty and Philip Pilosian/Shutterstock.com

At the airport: Both airlines didn't show the Max name at any time during check-in at the airport kiosks.

Flying United Airlines during pandemic — Flying United Airlines during the pandemic. Thomas Pallini/Insider

The only time I saw or heard the word "Max" was at the gate for both flights.

United shows the aircraft type on its digital gate signage...

And American's gate agents make an announcement before the flight that includes informing passengers of their flight's aircraft type, whether it's the Max or not.

Flying on American Airlines during pandemic — Flying on American Airlines during the pandemic. Thomas Pallini/Insider

Each airport is different for American, however, as Miami airport clearly showed the aircraft type on its signage.

Winner: United Airlines. Digital signage at the gate clearly shows the aircraft type while American doesn't typically show aircraft type on its signage and agents only say the aircraft type once before boarding.

Onboard the aircraft: The Max doesn't have too many identifying features on the inside in either airline's configuration, especially to the untrained eye.

If a passenger got a glimpse into the cockpit, they'd see this highly advanced avionics suite. But the aircraft doesn't scream "Boeing 737 Max" and that's typical of most airliners.

Where flyers can see the aircraft type on which they're flying is the safety card. And this is where United and American took a different approach.

United clearly states "B737-MAX9" on its safety cards...

While American opted to just write "Boeing 737" on its latest 737 Max safety cards since they can be used interchangeably with non-Max 737s.

The Max name was also not included in either airline's safety brief. On United, flight attendants simply used the generic Boeing 737 term.

Winner: United Airlines. Both airlines shy away from specifically saying the word "Max" while onboard the aircraft but United keeps the aircraft's name on its safety cards so that there's no question.

Onboard amenities: Both airlines had a near-identical offering in economy with nothing overly exciting about either.

Aircraft for both airlines are arranged in a two-class configuration with economy class and first class seats.

United currently flies the slightly larger Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft but the difference in size is negligible on the inside. The main difference is a few more rows of seats and a mid-cabin lavatory.

Both airlines have opted against seat-back in-flight entertainment on the Max as part of an industry shift towards streaming entertainment using a mobile device. Flyers will need to download the United or American app to access the content.

Seats on both jets come with device holders to make viewing the content easier.

They can hold anything from an iPhone to an iPad.

And both airlines have 110v AC power outlets at each seat to keep devices charged.

American takes it one step further, however, with the seat-back USB charging port for easy access.

Aircraft of both airlines are equipped with Boeing's "Sky Interior" which gives the cabin an incredibly modern atmosphere.

Overhead bins are larger and allow for more bags to be stowed.

And mood lighting creates a relaxing atmosphere

Both airlines also offer in-flight WiFi. American offers Viasat in-flight WiFi, which gives T-Mobile users a free hour of service, while United charges for all customers.

Free Apple Music for the duration of the flight is also available on American.

But American offers less legroom than United in economy with 30 inches of seat pitch for standard seats.

Source: SeatGuru

United offers 31 inches of pitch for its regular economy seats.

Source: SeatGuru

American's seats are also narrower in economy, coming in between 16.6 and 17.8 inches wide, depending on the seat location.

Source: SeatGuru

United's are a consistent 18 inches wide.

Source: SeatGuru

I didn't notice the difference as much when flying on both carriers and actually enjoyed American's seat just as much as United's. I wouldn't avoid flying on either airline's Max for the seat comfort alone, and I even spent more time on American.

Winner: Tied. Both aircraft are nearly identical in terms of the type of product offered in economy and I found each airline had its own pros and cons that evened them out.

Ultimately, I found United to be handling the Max return to serve the best out of the two carriers.

United clearly did more to try and inform passengers that they were scheduled to fly on the Max while American just handled the aircraft like business as usual. Both airlines have proved that the Max is safe but winning back customer confidence and being proactively transparent will go further than being complacent in the event of skeptical passengers.

Inside the aircraft, there were only minor differences between the two and both offered comfortable and modern products that made the journeys enjoyable.

Planes Flying air travel

More...