I usually look at the card in the pocket behind the seat if it is an airline I have not used before, since the options on shorter flights within Europe tend to be Airbus A32x or Boeing 737. Airlines such as Ryanair have only one type, since they do not fly long distance (> 3 hours)… I do not know of an airrine in Europe that uses or used the 737 MAX, which I would refuse to board.
Flying is boring. One aluminum tube is like another. I usually go for a window seat, and the only immediate difference is whether there are two are three seats in the row. Just two seats in a jet means it is an Embraer or a Bombardier, or else it is a turboprop. Beyond that, one plane is like another.
Last time I was on a plane (other than as a sightseer looking around the inside of a B-17) was in '98, when I flew from NYC to Bahrain, and then on to Fujairah, and I have no idea what kind of planes those were. In fact, the only plane types I’ve ever flown on that I could positively identify were a C-5 (Frisco to San Diego) and a C-141 (Spain to Virginia).
98 times out of 100, I’m on Southwest, so some flavor of 737, usually the -700, but I was once on one of their Max-8 birds before they started dropping from the sky.
My dad worked for Boeing. Even though he’s been gone for 32 (!) years, I always know what kind of plane I’m on. Always. He’d hate what’s happened to the company.
Well if I’m on Southwest then it is a 737, and if I’m on Frontier it’s an A320.
I like transportation and machine stuff, so I probably have a good idea, but it doesn’t particularly matter to me. 20-30 years ago I’d make an effort to avoid MD-80/90, 727, L-1011, and similar with engines on the fuselage, because they’re so much louder than wing mounted engines.
Can I tell the difference between a random bolt or nut in my yard that fell off the lawn mower versus one that fell off a PW4000? I guess we’ll find out this summer.
Depends on where you’re sitting. Towards the back they’re quite loud, but near the front they’re almost eerily quiet since the engines are so far behind you. There was some airline, I think it was Eastern, that branded their 727s “Whisper Jets” for that reason, which sounds really ironic now considering how loud they were compared to modern planes.
Well, you can guess where I always ended up sitting! Actually, my first international flight was on an L-1011, and I was somewhere near the middle, so it wasn’t too bad. Somehow the evil people that design airliner seating managed to put most of the seats on the 727 and MD-80 in the back. No matter what row of coach I picked, I still ended up in the back.
I usually check the aircraft type on the plaque on the door while waiting in line. Then I check the card, just out of curiosity. Back when I flew I mostly fly Southwest, so the only difference was the 737 class. It mattered because one had a lot more leg room than the other. But it has been so long I forget the numbers.
I do know and have scheduled some flights based on the aircraft type. Do I trust the 737 MAX? Yes. I am guessing the original poster was talking about flightaware’s message board.
I’ve seen all the arguments concerning the 737 MAX and I am not happy that a radical redesign that had never been subject to the full approval process has made the plane unsafe to fly without software intervention that was an add-on. I regard it as an unsafe kludge. I often use Ryanair, mainly because it is one of the very few options for my favorite route, but in future I will ask what type of 737 is being used on my route if they do buy MAXes.
If that comment relates to RyanAir then the very first line on this page may save you a minute or 2 in the future.
(It seems it will not generate an image of the page for some reason - so …
Ryanair fleet
Plain speaking about our planes. Ryanair only use Boeing 737-800 aircraft. This streamlined fleet helps us to keep costs down and safety standards up.
On a personal note I always know the aircraft type and prefer to fly Boeing. Have always had one of those slight niggles (even now) if an Airbus, triggered, I think, by the Air France flight 296 crash at Mulhouse-Habsheim.
The A320 was new at the time and a lot of fuss was being made about its ‘fly-by-wire’ controls. It was impressive to watch it fly-by-wire into the ground. At least that was my assumption at the time and I really don’t know the actual cause but the mental image has remained as vivid as ever…
Yes, Ryanair uses only 737-800, as I have noticed. As yet Ryanair has not had a crash or even a major incident, they are a budget airline but a good one.
I don’t worry about Airbus these days. The problems have been worked out. The Mulhouse crash was partly due to an an over-enthusiastic pilot trying to impress. And Boeing uses fly by wire in its newer planes. As for safety, there is a BIG question mark over the lithium batteries used in the newest Boeings Airbus refuses to use lithium batteries…
One aluminum tube is like another. If I did not know beforehand what plane was being used, I would not know if it was a 737 or a 320. In flight there is no difference.
If it wasn’t printed on the safety card (or have a 747 hump) I wouldn’t have a clue or the interest to find out. Does anybody take note of the make of the city bus they last rode?
I think Ryanair’s own website is out of date (possibly on purpose). Plenty of other sources confirm they’ve placed an actual order for 737maxes. In fact they were one of the few airlines to order more of them after the grounding, almost certainly using the grounding to negotiate an extremely low price from Boeing.
