MAXimum Effort: A red-eye ride on American Airlines' Boeing 737 MAX 8

So many negative things have been written and posted about the Boeing 737 MAX 8, especially with American Airlines' new layout, I had to get on one before I passed judgment on the type.  I was crossing my fingers it wasn't going to be as bad as so many people have said it is, and was booked on it with an open mind (sorta).

Photo Credit Joe Pries

I was originally looking at doing a daytime Los Angeles to Miami flight on American's Boeing 777-200, but, the fare for that took me well over the budget allowed by my work for the airfare by several hundred dollars.  *Grumbles*

So the day finally arrived and I found myself at LAX several hours early, and thank goodness I did get there early, TSA screening at American's Terminal 4 was insanely long and almost ground to a halt due to only 2 machines being in use in a separate, walled off area due to major terminal renovations and construction going on.  At least the screeners were in a good mood and I made it through in one piece, without much hassle, turning my formerly 4 hour stretch into a leisurely 2 hour wait.  Thank God there's a Dunkin' in this terminal, I needed coffee after the day I had been having thus far.

Finally, boarding came, and I boarded early, thanks to my Boarding Group, and found my seat, in Main Cabin Extra (MCE), with supposedly a bit more space.  My ride for the evening was the brand new MAX 8 registered N310RF.  At 6 months old, she still has that new plane smell.  At first glance she looked great, until you realize you're a 6'1" behemoth.  Normally, I'm comfortable in the window seat, but the instant I sat down (and got Philbin nicely ensconced in the seatback pocket), I banged my head on the sidewall!  Ouch...ah well, got myself as nicely situated as I could and hoped to God no one took the middle seat.  No such luck, after everyone boarded on came a nonrev (employee traveling free) and parked his derriere right next to me.  Normally I'm fine with is, as an airline guy I love chatting up with other airline folk.  But the three of us in that row were all pretty fluffy.  Now before you get your panties in a bunch, I'm not fat shaming.  But I gotta tell you, all 3 of us were in agreement, we felt like a pack of Easter Peeps.  With the minuscule seat padding already numbing my rear end and legs, this was not shaping up to be an enjoyable 6 hour ride.

Pushback and takeoff was great.  The MAX 8 is an incredibly quiet plane, even at full takeoff power.  A quick shot out over the Pacific as usual, then a turn to the Southeast and on our way to Miami.  This being a new plane, I looked for the power outlets, and sure enough the universal outlet is on the seat legs in front, while each seatback has a USB outlet.  To my chagrin, it didn't work, so I plugged in underneath...to no avail.  Turns out the inflight power was not working on this flight for ANY row, despite several attempts by the crew to start it.  Oh well, I'll have to wait until we get to Miami.  So much for that new airplane feel!

Since it was a red-eye flight, the crew dimmed the cabin lights to let the sardines...errm, passengers, sleep.  I was wide awake thanks to all the coffee I drank pre-flight, so I sat there reading for a few hours before nodding off myself, waking up as the Captain announced our descent into the Miami area.

The landing was bumpy, but then again, I've never been in a soft landing in a 737, regardless of series.  The taxi to our gate took a minute, since we landed on the other side of the airport, but that was ok.  We made it to the gate, and I quickly unfolded myself and hauled out of the plane and into the concourse to let the blood flow back into my extremities.  You think I'm kidding, well, I'm here to tell you I'm not.  A few feet away was the nonrev that was seated next to me, doing the same thing.  I swear, this was like a knock off of the old spoof movie Airplane!  That flight was done and in the books for me.  Now it was time for me to grab some breakfast, plug in, and wait for my onward flight to Kingston, Jamaica on a 737-800.  Yay!

This Travel Agent's opinion:  Stay clear of this plane if you value comfort (or blood flow) at all.  That being said, not all travelers can avoid this considering how many will enter the American Airlines fleet from here on out.  What I can advise them is to upgrade seats to Main Cabin Extra, or even First Class.

The AvGeek's opinion:  She's great to look at outside, and I'll be happy to spot her if she ever makes it to Salt Lake City, but, as far as riding her, I will avoid her for the time being, until American decides to free up a bit more space, or I'm flying in First.  Ah well, At least I managed to snag the safety card!

 *All photos the Author's except where credited*