Flying in United 737 MAX 9 in Economy Plus is a perfectly fine way to travel. Don’t get excited though. It’s essentially basic economy with a few inches of extra legroom. The seats are hard and narrow, and the snacks are limited.
Think of it as paying for basic economy PLUS a little more.
UA1946 Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – Houston, TX (IAH) Saturday, February 20, 2021 Aircraft: 737-9 MAX Registration: N27515 Duration: 2 hours 54 minutes Seat: 9A (Economy Plus)
United Airlines 737 MAX 9 side view illustration by Norebbo.com
Our route from Los Angeles to Houston today as UA1946.
My full review of United 737 MAX 9 Economy Plus from Los Angeles to Houston
This was easily one of the weirdest flights I’ve had in a while. Not only was I am extremely excited to fly on the United 737 MAX 9 for the first time, I was also a bit terrified. Just a little.
Arrival at LAX
I flew up from San Diego in United Embraer 175 first class in order to catch this flight. It was relatively nice and relaxing – at least until the moment we landed. I had a very short connection time, and I knew that I was going to hit the ground running as soon as I stepped off the plane. Combine that with being nervous about flying on the 737 MAX, and…ugh.
Not only was I a little frightened to fly on the MAX, the United fan in me was wanting so badly for this experience to be better than United 737-800 Economy Plus (which is disappointing to say the least).
If you know me, you’ll know that I’ve got the attention span of a fly, and there was no freaking way I would have lasted two years. I’m actually kind of proud of myself for going a whole week before caving in.
Whoa. Terminal 7 here at LAX is as empty as I’ve ever seen it, which is eerie – to say the least.
Anyway, this right here is my ride to Houston this morning (a two month old 737 MAX 9 in the old livery). Which confused me for a moment since I thought all of these things were painted in the new blue livery. Interesting.
The boarding process for flight number 1946 to Houston (and my first ever ride on a United 737 MAX 9)
I guess I wasn’t really sure what to expect here at the gate. The Boeing 737 MAX still has an awfully bad reputation, and I was curious about a handful of things:
How full is this flight going to be? Would it be obvious that people are actively avoiding the MAX at all costs?
What will the conversations be like? Will I overhear lots of people talking about the fact that this is a 737 MAX?
Will the gate agents make any specific announcements about this being a 737 MAX?
Most importantly, would I crack under pressure and be unable to step foot on this plane??
It was a weird feeling standing there at the gate area for sure, but to be honest it didn’t seem all that different then any other flight to Houston.
This right here is the look of a man who is mere moments away from cracking under pressure.
Which is really embarrassing, since everyone else here at the gate looks to have their shit together.
But seriously. I wonder how many of these people *know* (or care) that they are about to fly on the Boeing 737 MAX?
Here we go. There’s no turning back now. Well, I guess there wouldn’t be anyone stopping me from turning right around and running out of the airport at full speed, but I desperately need footage for my YouTube channel.
It’s not often that I contemplate the reliability of patched software, but it was kinda hard not to think of anything else during the long walk down the jet bridge.
Truthfully, I’m more excited about this than I am nervous. I have complete faith in Boeing engineers AND the entire crew of this aircraft, so I think it’s time to man up and at least *pretend* like I can’t hear the negative voices in my head.
Oh – they were handing out sanitizing wipes at the boarding door. Is this United’s way of telling me that I’m really gross? BTW, be sure to read my United 737 MAX 9 first class review if you’re curious why the people in this pic looked really cramped.
Seat overview
Despite this aircraft being in service for less than two months, it didn’t have any of that sexy “new airplane smell” that I love so much. This is likely because this aircraft was actually built a year ago, and sat in storage while Boeing engineers worked to get the 737 MAX re-certified.
Being distracted by negative voices totally made me forget that I had booked a seat in premium economy for this flight. Cool! No, it’s not United 767-300 business class or anything, but this’ll do nicely for a 2 and a half hour flight.
Anyway, anyone who has flown United Airlines in the past 10 years will instantly recognize the colors and style of seats featured here on the MAX 9.
No, I’m not nervous about this at all. Why do you ask?
Let’s just say that I’ve worked with enough stressed out software engineers over the span of my career to know that patched code is NEVER perfect.
And even though I just claimed to have faith in everyone involved in making this flight happen today…you’re darn right I’m going to sit here and study the location of the nearest emergency exits.
For those that are curious, I couldn’t find any USB ports, but there are power outlets down beneath the seats.
All onboard entertainment is free to consume on your own device via the complimentary WiFi, and…
…you’re darn right I’m keeping the safety card within easy reach. Just in case.
All in all, the United 737-9 MAX seats are comfy and spacious. I’d easily be able to spend five hours in one of these on a long transcon between New York and Los Angeles. Sorry about the crotch shot.
The departure out of LAX
The takeoff process was really fun. The engines on the Boeing 737 MAX are a lot different than the engines found on other models of the 737, and they sound really nice as well.
Ok, THIS is the point where there is officially no turning back. I’ve got nowhere to run to now.
And why would I run? My first impressions of the United 737 MAX 9 were pretty good actually – the premium economy seats are really spacious, and I love how the engines look like mini versions of what are on the 787.
With all the negative drama centered around this aircraft over the last two years, it was kind of hard not to feel a little tense during the climb out of LAX.
Does it look like I’m clenching my but cheeks? Because I totally am.
All that butt clenching aside, I felt like I was starting to like the MAX more and more by the minute.
The sound was one of the most impressive aspects of this aircraft. It was loud but soothing (if that makes any sense), and I also quite liked how generous United was with the legroom up here in premium economy. On an unrelated note, that right there (between my shoes) is the best underseat luggage there is.
Food and drinks
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic still being very much in full rage, I wasn’t expecting very much in terms of beverages and snacks on this flight. The good news is that I was expecting too little.
Wondering what kind of snacks United Airlines is serving these days? Me too. All I’m gonna say is…I better not see any freaking Stroopwafels.
Anyway, With all the COVID stuff still going on, they were handing out pre-packaged snack bags to limit interactions with the cabin crew.
Looks like we’ve got some pretzels (which is nice) and…
…are you freaking kidding me? Look – I wasn’t a fan of these things way back in 2016, and I sure as heck haven’t developed a taste for them since then.
Am I weird for not finding Stroopwafels appetizing at all? Please be careful how you answer that…
At least they included a bag of pretzels, because….well…I may not have survived this flight without them. Your boy SANspotter was hungry!
FYI, the amount of pretzel dust that ended up on both the inside AND the outside of my mask was more than a little annoying.
In-flight entertainment
Although there were no personal video screens in the seat backs of this particular aircraft, they are coming soon. Be sure to read my review of United 737 MAX 8 Economy Plus to see what that experience is like.
In the meantime, there is a very decent streaming entertainment option. This streaming entertainment is complementary and accessible via your personal devices.
A quick check of the in flight map reveals that we are heading straight north along the Arizona / New Mexico border. Which is weird.
These tablet holders built into the seats are very convenient – although being slightly overkill for mobile phones. Still a neat idea though.
And if you’re curious, the selection of tv shows and movies available on the free streaming service is quite good.
Easily good enough to distract you from the fact that you’re heading dead nuts north on a 737 MAX when you *should* be pointing East.
Final thoughts about the United 737 MAX 9 premium economy experience
You know what? All of the fears that I had about flying on the 737 MAX were more than just a little irrational. Time will tell if it is as safe of an airplane as Boeing claims that it is, but I quite enjoyed this flight between Los Angeles and Houston. Here’s how the remainder of it went:
Let’s see. What else can I tell you about the United Airlines 737 MAX 9? Oh – there’s mood lighting, which probably looks really slick at night.
And, it’s actually kind of fun to demonstrate how easy it is to stretch out and get comfortable here in Economy Plus. This is nice.
Especially since there haven’t been any situations that have necessitated the use of the safety card yet.
As if this morning hasn’t been interesting enough already, check out all this fresh snow on the ground just west of Austin Texas.
Texas was hit with a once in a lifetime winter storm just a few days before this flight, and this is worth soaking in since I’ll likely never see anything like it ever again.
Oddly enough, I was supposed to do this flight the day of the storm, but I rescheduled since flights in and out of Houston airport were experiencing significant delays and cancellations.
Today looks better though! It seems as if all the snow and ice is fading away as we approach Houston, and we’ll be on the ground 25 minutes ahead of schedule.
Pro tip: seat 9A on the United 737 MAX 9 has a misaligned window. It’s not all that bad though. Assuming you’re somewhat flexible, it’s not hard to crank your head around and get some decent views of the action.
Speaking of which, here’s some pretty sweet 737 MAX 9 shadow action on our way into runway 8L.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Houston, the termination point of today’s flight.
And there you have it. This little 737 MAX adventure is over, but the good news is that I’ve got lots of other fun all new adventures coming soon.
Hope you’ll stay tuned for those, and (assuming you have the courage to do so)…
…I’ll catch you in the next one! By the way, is a 1 hour layover enough time in Houston? I’ve got about 45 minutes to catch my next flight, so things are about to get hairy…
Pros and cons of United Airlines 737 MAX 9 Economy Plus
If it wasn’t obvious by now, Economy Plus is just a fancy way of saying “premium economy.” It’s important to note that this is just domestic-quality premium economy – which means that it’s basically regular economy class with a little more leg room.
For comparison’s sake, United domestic Economy Plus is absolutely nothing like international premium economy. Just throwing that out there if it wasn’t obvious already.
Pros
United Economy Plus (especially on the 737 MAX 9) is a really good deal. I paid just $35 to upgrade to one of these seats from a standard economy seat, so it’s absolutely worth it for longer flights.
Leg room is fantastic. I am 5‘10“ tall, and I could easily cross my legs without touching the seat in front of me. People over 6 feet tall should feel very comfortable in these seats. It’s almost as good as the legroom in first class (there are loads of pics in my United A319 first class review if you want to see how it compares).
Since the Boeing 737 MAX 9 is such a long aircraft, it means that the majority of the premium economy seats are forward of the engines and wing. In other words, these seats are generally quieter compared to seats located behind the wing.
Cons
Because United has made their Economy Plus seats so affordable, the chances of having an open middle seat next to you is slim to none. Especially on busy routes. In this case, you might want to read my list of tips for having an empty seat next to you if you want to increase your chances of it happening.
Being in the forward cabin of a very long aircraft means that it’s a long way to the lavatories in the back. And no, the flight attendants will not let you use the lavatory located at the front of the aircraft. That one is reserved for first class passengers only.
This jet is an engineering joke. By moving the engines forward from the “old” 737 a completely new aerodynamic result occurred which Boeing attempted to patch up with a band-aid approach. I will still avoid this plane whenever I can. Just waiting for the next crash….
The Max has made well over 500,000 flights, maybe a million. Most other means of transport are less safe – that includes cars, trucks, trains, bicycles . . . . . Those two crashes were obviously frightening but do need to be viewed in perspective.
itripreport would probably like to have a word with you about Stroopwafels! I don’t have an opinion yet since I haven’t tried one before. Good to see you back in the skies!
Haha, I think a LOT of people would like to have a word with me about Stroopwafels. I’ve found that it’s a love/hate kind of thing – I don’t know very many people who think they are just ‘ok’. You’re either going to really love it…or really hate it.
My opinion on the 737Max is that it never should have existed, I’ve always thought that Boeing never should have closed the production line for the 757, being a better platform to develop on for planes on this size. Of course there was good reason at the time to stop building 757s. But yet I also have faith in Boeing, including their 737Max, this is similar to the DC-10 “problem” quite a few decades ago: bad things happen, it gets fixed and doesn’t happen again.
And Stroopwafels? I personally love those, always look forward to those if I fly United. But I understand that you can’t expect everyone to love the same food so I completely understand that some people simply aren’t fans of them.
My hope is that Boeing learned a lot from trying to extend the life of the 737 too far, and that this is the last that we’ll see of this airframe. I also agree that with everything that has happened, this is very likely the safest plane in the sky at the moment. Regarding the Stroopwafel, one of the things that I’ve learned from telling everyone how much I hate them is that I’m definitely in the minority! I always knew I was the weird one…
Just got back from Hawaii (5 hours) one seat back from where the author sat and must say the Max 9 was one of the most comfortable flights I’ve been on including the 787 Dreamliner in economy plus. Overhead storage is also huge. Would look to fly again.
The video you made is one of my favorites. I especially liked the beginning, with all the suspense/anxiety of being about to fly on a 737 MAX. This written review is also pretty good.
I’ve said this before, but I really liked flying on the MAX! It felt like a cross between the 737 & 787. The narrow cabin and awkwardly low (but decently large) windows are in line with what you’ll get on most 737’s, but the engine sound reminded me a lot of the 787, in that it was quiet & smooth. Both have the beautiful Boeing Sky Interior.
Regarding the MAX itself, I think that Boeing took the 737 too far and should’ve made a clean-sheet replacement. The 737’s engines can’t be enlarged any more without making the aircraft unstable, requiring MCAS. And we all know how Boeing handled the MCAS issue. Sure, a clean-sheet design is more expensive, but it’s definitely better in the long run.
Thanks Peter! I forgot that I even made a video about this (lol). They’re all starting to blend together at this point…
Anyway, yes, I fully agree with what you’re saying about the MAX. It’s an aircraft that Boeing took too far, but luckily, they pulled it off and I quite enjoy flying on it. This is the end of the road for the 737 though. At least I hope it is!
Also, I agree that United’s Economy Plus, if reasonably priced (a small premium over regular Economy), is worth the extra cost. You’ll get a really good amount of legroom, and from my experience, the service is slightly better than Economy.
Oh, and I think I’ve said this before, but I’m one of those who likes the Stroopwafel! It’s one of my favorite parts about flying on United.
Brian Arthur
This jet is an engineering joke. By moving the engines forward from the “old” 737 a completely new aerodynamic result occurred which Boeing attempted to patch up with a band-aid approach. I will still avoid this plane whenever I can. Just waiting for the next crash….
Scott (SANspotter)
They definitely took some shortcuts for sure. Let’s just hope they fixed whatever was wrong with it…
JD
The Max has made well over 500,000 flights, maybe a million. Most other means of transport are less safe – that includes cars, trucks, trains, bicycles . . . . . Those two crashes were obviously frightening but do need to be viewed in perspective.
Scott (SANspotter)
Has the MAX really made over 500k flights by now?
Nick
itripreport would probably like to have a word with you about Stroopwafels! I don’t have an opinion yet since I haven’t tried one before. Good to see you back in the skies!
Scott (SANspotter)
Haha, I think a LOT of people would like to have a word with me about Stroopwafels. I’ve found that it’s a love/hate kind of thing – I don’t know very many people who think they are just ‘ok’. You’re either going to really love it…or really hate it.
Alan
My opinion on the 737Max is that it never should have existed, I’ve always thought that Boeing never should have closed the production line for the 757, being a better platform to develop on for planes on this size. Of course there was good reason at the time to stop building 757s. But yet I also have faith in Boeing, including their 737Max, this is similar to the DC-10 “problem” quite a few decades ago: bad things happen, it gets fixed and doesn’t happen again.
And Stroopwafels? I personally love those, always look forward to those if I fly United. But I understand that you can’t expect everyone to love the same food so I completely understand that some people simply aren’t fans of them.
Scott (SANspotter)
My hope is that Boeing learned a lot from trying to extend the life of the 737 too far, and that this is the last that we’ll see of this airframe. I also agree that with everything that has happened, this is very likely the safest plane in the sky at the moment. Regarding the Stroopwafel, one of the things that I’ve learned from telling everyone how much I hate them is that I’m definitely in the minority! I always knew I was the weird one…
Bryan
Just got back from Hawaii (5 hours) one seat back from where the author sat and must say the Max 9 was one of the most comfortable flights I’ve been on including the 787 Dreamliner in economy plus. Overhead storage is also huge. Would look to fly again.
Peter
The video you made is one of my favorites. I especially liked the beginning, with all the suspense/anxiety of being about to fly on a 737 MAX. This written review is also pretty good.
I’ve said this before, but I really liked flying on the MAX! It felt like a cross between the 737 & 787. The narrow cabin and awkwardly low (but decently large) windows are in line with what you’ll get on most 737’s, but the engine sound reminded me a lot of the 787, in that it was quiet & smooth. Both have the beautiful Boeing Sky Interior.
Regarding the MAX itself, I think that Boeing took the 737 too far and should’ve made a clean-sheet replacement. The 737’s engines can’t be enlarged any more without making the aircraft unstable, requiring MCAS. And we all know how Boeing handled the MCAS issue. Sure, a clean-sheet design is more expensive, but it’s definitely better in the long run.
Scott (SANspotter)
Thanks Peter! I forgot that I even made a video about this (lol). They’re all starting to blend together at this point…
Anyway, yes, I fully agree with what you’re saying about the MAX. It’s an aircraft that Boeing took too far, but luckily, they pulled it off and I quite enjoy flying on it. This is the end of the road for the 737 though. At least I hope it is!
Peter
Also, I agree that United’s Economy Plus, if reasonably priced (a small premium over regular Economy), is worth the extra cost. You’ll get a really good amount of legroom, and from my experience, the service is slightly better than Economy.
Oh, and I think I’ve said this before, but I’m one of those who likes the Stroopwafel! It’s one of my favorite parts about flying on United.
Scott (SANspotter)
Okay then, that settles it. Now I know where to send all my uneaten Stroopwafels!