We rode on the United 737-9 Max in economy between ATL and ORD as a start to our recent trip to Europe. These 737s have United’s newest interior and I was excited to check it out after seeing their older offering on their 737-800/900s(Review Here). For this leg of the trip Val and I are riding in Economy. From gate to gate this flight is just about 2 hours.
Bottom Line: United’s 737-9 Max is decent, even in economy. Adequate seats with ok leg room. Power to charge devices, great in flight entertainment, large over head bins, and friendly service. There’s no reason you should avoid the United 737 Max.
United Boarding
We started the boarding process right on time. United boards by groups. It starts with 1 and runs to group 9. Today, we’re in group 3. This includes those with window seats like us.
United 737-9 Max Economy Cabin
The United 737 Max economy cabin has 3-3 seating like all 737s.
The cabin looks great. Our seats are on the left hand side of the plane.
The United 737 Max 9 was very clean, a very friendly flight attendant helped everyone stow their bags into the overhead. This 737 has the high capacity overhead bins that hold bags on their side.
United 737-9 Max Economy Seat Comfort
The leg room is surprisingly good back here. No one is going to call it excessive, but I was more than comfortable here even with my back back under the seat in front of me. The seats themselves are a little thin and firm, but not uncomfortable. If this flight was longer I’d want to get up and stretch though.
United 737-9 Max Economy In Seat Entertainment
I was really excited to see the newest iteration of United’s in seat entertainment for narrow body planes. These feature bluetooth connectivity for headphones. While boarding the screens tell you what seat you’re in, very nice feature.
The selection of movies and shows was vast. During this flight I watched a few episodes of “Greatest of All Time.” It’s ok, good time killer on a flight. The United 737 Max has a top notch in seat entertainment system.
There’s also the “From the Flight Deck” option. This is an old school United Airlines feature from back when entertainment was just audio from the arm rest. Unfortunately for this flight, it wasn’t working, I would have loved to listen in.
There’s also power provided in each seat that can be used to charge devices.
United 737-9 Max In Flight
The pilots came on and told us it would be a 1:31 flight up to Chicago. A few bumps are forecast for departure here.
The flight attendant then passed through the aisle with earbuds, I’ll obviously use my Sonys. The door was closed and the flight attendants did their safety briefing. We’re about 7 minutes early. We pushed back, the safety briefing was shown, and then the cabin lights were dimmed as we taxied to the runway.
The United 737 Max has nice interior lighting. It’s great for night flights, then you can see inside the cabin, but they don’t need to turn all of the lights on. The flight attendants made their welcome announcement and said that they’ll begin their service as soon as the turbulence clears. Once we got to our cruise altitude the pilots turned off the seatbelt sign and said it should be pretty smooth for the rest of the flight.
After takeoff, I settled into an episode of greatest of all time. It’s a fun little show to kill some time. We did hit some bumps as we continued to climb. Nothing major.
United 737-9 Max Economy Drinks and Snacks
United does offer a selection of free drinks and snacks. There’s also a buy on board program on these short haul flights for alcoholic drinks and larger snack boxes. United doesn’t accept cash or card on this flight, only payments through the United app. You need to input your credit card to your profile to make onboard purchases, I’m really not sure that’s a great idea, but I don’t run United Airlines.
Because I’m very boring, I went with water and then some of the chocolate quinoa crips. They handed out two per person, but I always want like 5. They are super good.
United 737-9 Max WiFi
Like all modern aircraft, the United 737 Max has in flight Wifi. It’s not free, but is available for purchase if you’re interested. It’s also free if you’re a T-Mobile Customer.
United 737-9 Max Landing
Outside we had begun our decent into ORD right on time. The flight attendants collected the trash from the drinks and snack service. The pilots also said their thank-you and goodbye. We’re about 20 minutes from landing.
Just a few minutes later we were on the ground here in Ohare. Perfect for us to catch our next flight to Frankfurt.
United 737-9 Max Economy Final Thoughts
The United 737-9 Max is a good ride, even here in the back of the plane economy. The seats are comfortable enough, there’s power in each seat, great entertainment selection, and WiFi available. This flight was just about 2 hours and we had a nice drink and snack service. Soft drinks and coffee are included, and alcohol is available for purchase, just have your credit card information in the United App.
In comparison with the older United 737-800 and -900(Review Here), I really liked the 737 Max. It’s just more comfortable, has better entertainment, and was very clean. I also really like the overhead bins that allow more people to have storage space. All around, a nice aircraft for flying around North America.
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