In its decision this week, the FAA said airlines can start bringing the 737 Max 9 back into service, but only after completing a “thorough inspection and maintenance process” outlined by the regulators.
Even with the agency’s green light, there are still many passengers who might have reservations about boarding a 737 Max 9. As the planes started coming back into service, here’s what you need to know.
Which carriers fly the Max 9?
United and Alaska are the two U.S. carriers of the 737 Max 9, and account for about two-thirds of 215 models in service worldwide, according to Cirium, an airline analytics company. United has 79 of them in its fleet, and Alaska operates 65.
The other airlines that fly the plane are Panama’s Copa Airlines, Aeromexico, Turkish Airlines, Icelandair, Flydubai and SCAT Airlines in Kazakhstan.
How soon will they be back in the air?
Alaska Airlines said in a statement on Wednesday that it expects the first of its Max 9 aircrafts to return to passenger service on Friday. And in a letter to United employees this week, the company’s chief operating officer, Toby Enqvist, said the carrier was preparing “to return to scheduled service beginning on Sunday.”
Checking your flight status
“There’s always a subset of the flying public that is particularly concerned about incidents like this, and it affects their individual choices,” says aviation consultant Robert Ditchey. “People have lost confidence in Boeing in general.”