Is this a Boeing? How to find out what type of plane you’re flying on.
There are several reasons a traveler might want to know which type of plane they’re flying on — and many airlines make that information readily available during the booking process.
Knowing the specific plane model ahead of a flight can answer questions about seat configuration or storage allowance. And given the recent onslaught of news surrounding Boeing planes, some passengers may want to know if they’re going to be on a Boeing before they board.
Remember, the odds of encountering issues on your flight are very low
Despite the number of recent stories about Boeing and the ongoing investigations into its safety standards, the risk of flying on a Boeing plane is still low.
For context: three Boeing planes had issues last week — that’s out of the over 90,000 passenger flights that take off and land every day.
How to figure out the aircraft model
Most airlines will list the aircraft type on their ticketing pages. Boeing and Airbus are the world’s only major passenger aircraft manufacturers.
If the information isn’t easily accessible on the airline’s website, there are third-party sites like Expert Flyer and SeatGuru that will provide that information.
If you book flights through third-party services like Kayak, there are designated filters that allow you to limit which plane models show up in the results.
Which airlines use Boeing planes?
In late January, the Federal Aviation Administration FAA called for Boeing to inspect its 737-900ER plane models, which was the second such investigation for Boeing in less than a month. The 737 Max 9 model came under scrutiny after an Alaska Airlines flight lost its door plug 16,000 feet in the air in early January. The Max 9 aircraft has the same door plug design as the 737-900ER.
Delta Airlines is the U.S. carrier with the most 737-900ERs, followed by United and Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines has a smaller fleet than the other two, and 737-900ERs make up 25% of its fleet.
Internationally, Indonesia’s Lion Air, Turkish Airlines and Israel’s El Al also use that model.
Of the 913 planes in American Airlines’s fleet, 458 are Boeing models. Counting the 737-900ERs, Delta has a total of 491 Boeing planes in its fleet of 874. United has 649 Boeing planes, and Southwest exclusively flies Boeing planes.