Last week, US carrier United Airlines introduced its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on a South American route for the first time. The Boeing MAX 8 flew from Newark to Bogota, Colombia.

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United MAX aircraft

The first United 737 MAX flight to South America took off from Newark Liberty Airport last Monday at 18:04 local time and landed in Bogota at El Dorado International Airport at 23:08 local time. The aircraft used for the flight was a MAX 8, registered N27271. According to flight data from Flightradar24.com, the MAX 8 entered service at the end of September after being delivered from Boeing. United currently has 68 MAX aircraft in service, split between the MAX 8 and 9.

United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX
Photo: United Airlines

United flies to Bogota from both Newark and Houston, totaling 180 monthly flights. On both routes, United is using its Boeing 737-700s and 737 MAX 8s. According to schedule data from Cirium, United is using its MAX fleet on 6,632 flights this November. The airline’s most frequented routes by its MAX aircraft are:

  • Newark – Las Vegas: 114 flights (MAX 8)
  • Newark – Fort Myers: 95 flights (MAX 8)
  • Newark – Phoenix: 92 flights (MAX 8)
  • Newark – Orlando: 85 flights (MAX 8)
  • Denver – Boston: 84 flights (MAX 9)
  • Las Vegas – Chicago: 80 flights (MAX 9)

United aircraft interiors

United’s MAX 8s are configured in three cabins totaling 166 seats, 16 in United First, 54 in Economy Plus, 96 in standard economy. In 2021, United Airlines announced a new signature interior in its narrowbody aircraft. The new interior includes larger overhead bins, able to accommodate one carry-on bag per passenger, eliminating the need to gate-check bags when flights are full.

UnitedInterior
Photo: United Airlines

Perhaps one of the best features of the new interior has to do with the inflight entertainment system. The new interior features IFE at every seat and also has Bluetooth connectivity. A small percentage of United’s fleet currently has IFE at every seat back. When the new interior was announced, the airline stated that in the coming years, all of its aircraft would be retrofitted with the latest interior, and its new aircraft would be delivered with the upgrades.

As part of the updates, United is adding WiFi to all its aircraft and offering wider seats with better recline. Currently, a select few aircraft in United’s fleet have the new signature interiors, but the figure is growing.

Boeing 737 MAX 10

Over the weekend, Boeing’s first non-prototype 737 MAX 10 took flight in Washington state. The MAX 10 had been sitting at Renton Municipal Airport since it came off the assembly line earlier this year. Registered as N27753, the MAX 10 is the third ever to fly and is the first of more than 700 MAX 10s ordered by 15 different airlines, including United.

Though the aircraft took its first test flight over the weekend, Boeing is racing to get its MAX 7s and 10s certified before the end of 2022 to avoid Congress-mandated cockpit changes. But as each day passes, the chances of the two aircraft being approved falls.

  • N14106 United Airlines (Her Art Here-California Livery) Boeing 757-224 (1)
    United Airlines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    UA/UAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Guam International Airport, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1931
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Scott Kirby
    Country:
    United States