Boeing 737 MAX 8
Narrow-body jet
- Passengers flown a year
- 110.8M
- 3rd-most common US type
- Airframes in US fleets
- 526
- US operators
- 4
- Airports served
- 179
- Countries
- 36
- Load factor
- 80.2%
Where the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flies
Filed traffic dataThe operators table below counts the registered Boeing 737 MAX 8 airframes each airline owns (US DOT Form 41). These figures are how much the type actually flew — departures, seats, and passengers filed with US DOT T-100 over the trailing 12 months, not fleet size.
Departures flown
835,995
July 2026
Seats flown
144,413,508
Passengers
110.8M
Load factor
80.2%
RPM ÷ ASM
Block hours
2,166,090
Busiest Boeing 737 MAX 8 routes
The Boeing 737 MAX 8's busiest US routes over the trailing 12 months, by departures.
Honolulu, Oahu – Kahului (HNL–OGG)
5,643 departures · 523,721 passengers · 101 mi
53.0%
Load
Dallas-Fort Worth – Santa Ana (DFW–SNA)
4,492 departures · 651,704 passengers · 1,205 mi
84.4%
Load
4,365 departures · 649,196 passengers · 1,620 mi
88.4%
Load
3,610 departures · 476,795 passengers · 602 mi
75.8%
Load
Honolulu, Oahu – Hilo (HNL–ITO)
3,593 departures · 402,129 passengers · 216 mi
63.9%
Load
Honolulu, Oahu – Lihue, Kauai (HNL–LIH)
3,486 departures · 344,472 passengers · 102 mi
56.5%
Load
Honolulu, Oahu – Kailua-Kona (HNL–KOA)
3,452 departures · 320,801 passengers · 163 mi
53.1%
Load
3,278 departures · 486,427 passengers · 1,726 mi
87.4%
Load
3,129 departures · 413,578 passengers · 628 mi
76.1%
Load
3,064 departures · 352,681 passengers · 255 mi
65.9%
Load
3,057 departures · 420,760 passengers · 1,067 mi
78.6%
Load
2,788 departures · 397,260 passengers · 846 mi
84.6%
Load
2,767 departures · 358,320 passengers · 787 mi
74.0%
Load
2,766 departures · 354,501 passengers · 304 mi
73.7%
Load
2,758 departures · 411,612 passengers · 1,444 mi
85.3%
Load
The longest and shortest Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights
The two ends of the type's working envelope, from the routes it actually flew — not what the airframe is certified to do.
Longest route flown
3,622 mi
Reykjavík – Seattle (KEF–SEA)
1h 30m block · 656 departures · 80% load
Flown by Icelandair. A long leg for a narrow-body twin — far enough from a diversion airport that the type carries an ETOPS rating.
Shortest route flown
73 mi
Colorado Springs – Denver (COS–DEN)
45m block · 586 departures · 71% load
Flown by Southwest Airlines. About 45m of block time, most of it connecting traffic feeding the hub.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Segment. Data through July 2026.
Airports the Boeing 737 MAX 8 serves
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 serves 179 US airports across 36 countries. The busiest, by departures:
- DEN
49,384 departures · 104 routes · 8 operators
6.2%
Share
- LAS
39,228 departures · 80 routes · 8 operators
4.9%
Share
- PHX
36,115 departures · 68 routes · 6 operators
4.5%
Share
- BWI
27,506 departures · 67 routes · 7 operators
3.4%
Share
- MDW
27,124 departures · 72 routes · 1 operator
3.4%
Share
- MIA
26,615 departures · 76 routes · 8 operators
3.3%
Share
- BNA
24,454 departures · 74 routes · 7 operators
3.1%
Share
- MCO
24,315 departures · 62 routes · 11 operators
3.0%
Share
- DAL
23,984 departures · 60 routes · 1 operator
3.0%
Share
- EWR
20,753 departures · 58 routes · 7 operators
2.6%
Share
Who flies the Boeing 737 MAX 8
Two questions in one table. Airframes is what each carrier reported owning in its US DOT fleet filing; seats flown is how much of the type it actually operated. They can rank differently, and the gap is the interesting part.
| Operator | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest AirlinesWN | 300 | 91.1M | 63.1% | 3.9 yr |
| United AirlinesUA | 123 | 23.7M | 16.4% | 3.3 yr |
| American AirlinesAA | 89 | 19M | 13.1% | 4.5 yr |
| Alaska AirlinesAS | 14 | 2.3M | 1.6% | 1.6 yr |
Airframes are the latest Form 41 filing; seats flown and share are US DOT T-100 for the type's most-flown operators — a dash means a carrier isn't among them (a freighter operator, or one that flies fewer).
How old is the US Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet?
Age is measured from each airframe's delivery date — the FAA airworthiness date where available, otherwise the manufacturer's. Bars share a fixed scale across every fleet page, so two carriers can be compared directly.
Monthly Boeing 737 MAX 8 capacity
How common is the Boeing 737 MAX 8?
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 makes up 6.1% of all tracked US airline aircraft — the 3rd-most common type in service.
Share of all tracked US airline aircraft · top 12 types shown · 119 others hold the remaining 37.6% · Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the ringed slice at 6.1%
- 1
872 aircraft
10.0%
Share
- 2
708 aircraft
8.1%
Share
- 3
Boeing 737 MAX 8this type
526 aircraft
6.1%
Share
- 4
481 aircraft
5.5%
Share
- 5
470 aircraft
5.4%
Share
Frequently asked
How many Boeing 737 MAX 8 are in US airline fleets?
US carriers operate about 526 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft across 4 airlines, 526 of them in service.
Which airline operates the most Boeing 737 MAX 8?
Southwest Airlines operates the largest US Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet, with about 300 aircraft.
What is the busiest Boeing 737 MAX 8 route?
The busiest US route flown by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is HNL–OGG, with about 5,643 departures over the trailing 12 months.
Which airline flies the Boeing 737 MAX 8 the most?
Southwest Airlines flies the most Boeing 737 MAX 8 capacity in US service, with about 91.1M seats flown over the trailing 12 months.
How many passengers does the Boeing 737 MAX 8 carry?
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 carried about 110.8M passengers on US routes over the trailing 12 months.
What is the longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight?
The longest US route flown by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 is KEF–SEA, about 3,622 miles, flown by Icelandair.
How many airports does the Boeing 737 MAX 8 serve?
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 serves about 179 US airports across 36 countries, led by Denver (DEN).
How old is the average Boeing 737 MAX 8?
The US Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet averages about 3.8 yr.
How common is the Boeing 737 MAX 8 in US fleets?
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the 3rd-most common aircraft type in tracked US airline fleets, by number of aircraft.
Trip reports on YouTube
Fliers post trip reports from Boeing 737 MAX 8 flights to YouTube. These three were matched automatically from public YouTube listings — The Frequent Flier does not host, review, or endorse them.
Simply Aviation
TRIPREPORT | Turkish Airlines (ECONOMY) | Boeing 737 MAX 8 | Istanbul - Vienna
13:02 · Mar 2022
The Flip Flop Traveller
Pleasantly Surprised on AEROMEXICO ✦ 737 MAX 8 Business Class Trip Report ✦ New York to Mexico City
17:10 · Dec 2025
The Layover Aviation
flydubai Business Class | Dubai to Riyadh | flydubai Boeing 737 Max 8 | Trip Report
23:43 · Sep 2025
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