How to Tell if Your Flight is on a Boeing 737 Max 8

This is how you can tell if your flight is on the Boeing 737 Max 8. Following the second crash and new pilot statements many countries have grounded the 737 Max 8 and some nations have even banned it from their airspace, but it is still in operation at five airlines including popular airlines in the United States and Canada.

Your next flight with American Airlines or Southwest may be on the Boeing 737 Max 8 and United Airlines flies the 737 Max 9, which is a longer version of the Max 8 that has not been in any crash. Flydubai and Westjet also use the Max 8 planes.

When you book a flight you may not immediately see what the plane type is, but you can check this with other flight apps including flight aware by looking at the flight numbers with an app. Even if you see the airplane type when you book, it’s not always the same plane when you end up flying, so it’s a good idea to check closer to your departure.

How to Check if Your Next Flight is on a Boeing 737 Max 8

How to tell if your next flight is on a Boeing 7373 Max 8. Credit: Boeing

According to FlightAware there are still many Boeing 737 Max 8s flying across the world. Many of these flights are in the U.S. as part of the Southwest Airlines and American Airlines fleets. If you are flying on one of these airlines, you can put the flight number into FlightAware and see the type of plane you will be flying on.

You can do this on the FlightAware website or using the FlightAware app on your iPhone, iPad or Android. It is free to use this tool to lookup what kind of airplane you will be flying on.

While the best time to do this is before you book, you can check this at any time. With FlightAware, you can see the past and future flights along your route including the current flight and other key stats about the flight. You’ll want to look for the Aircraft type Boeing 737 Max 8 (twin jet) which is also noted as type B38M on FlightAware.

Is my flight on a Boeing 737 Max 8? This app can tell you.

The catch here is that if you find out that you are on a Boeing 737 Max 8, you can’t just change flights or cancel for free. You will need to work with your airline to find a solution, and you will need to keep in mind that the only flights along that route with that airline may be the 737 Max 8.

If you are flying on the Boeing 737 Max 8, you will want to check out our list of the best apps for anxious flyers. We also have a great list of the best flight tracking apps as well as the best apps for long flights.

Turbulence Forecast

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One of my favorite apps/services to use before departing on my trip is Turbulence Forecast. I've been using the website for a long time now and the app's finally caught up.  Essentially, Turbulence Forecast shows you what the air is probably going to be like wherever your flight is headed. It'll show you the current turbulence levels, pilot reports on the route you're taking, and it'll show you what the turbulence what might look like in the future so you can mentally prepare for what's ahead.  You might not always get the news you want, but at least you'll know what you might be getting into before you hop on the plane.  Fear of the unknown drives a lot of flyers anxiety and Turbulence Forecast is a great way to keep that under control before you takeoff.

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