How to Figure Out What Type of Plane You’re Flying In

17.01.2024 - 22:59 / afar.com

There are several reasons why it can be useful to know what type of airplane you’ll be flying on when you make your flight reservation. You might simply be wondering what the seat configuration will be, or maybe you want to know whether you were scheduled to fly on a Boeing 737 Max aircraft following the recent grounding of Boeing 737-9 Max planes after a harrowing Alaska Airlines flight involving a plug door that blew out earlier this month.

Other reasons it could help to know? Well, many of the smallest turboprop and regional jet aircraft (or even narrow-body and sometimes midsize planes, too) might make you gate-check your TSA-approved carry-on bags due to more limited storage space in the main cabin. So, if there’s another aircraft option available, you might want to choose a larger commercial jet that will have bigger overhead bins to store luggage. The same goes for seat layout: Maybe a larger airplane will have more (and possibly better) seating options, whether you want to upgrade, simply have more space, or to be able to sit all together as a family.

Whatever you’re reason for wanting to know, here’s how to figure out what type of plane you’ll be flying in.

Nearly every airline in the world lists the type of aircraft that flights will be using during the booking process—you’ll typically find airplane information displayed just below the flight details when selecting your flights. Start by doing a search for your origin and destination airports and preferred dates to find out what type of planes fly each route.

Similarly, when you search for a flight using a travel search engine such as Google Flights, the exact airplane model will be listed below each listed flight segment, in smaller type, alongside the airline operating the flight.

Five years ago, travel booking site and app Kayak added an aircraft option to its filters, and the company reported that it saw an uptick in usageof that filter following the Alaska Airlines incident in January 2024. Specifically, users can filter to include or exclude certain aircraft models, including the Boeing 737-8 Max and the Boeing 737-9 Max planes for travelers who are concerned about flying on those models.

If the plane type is still unclear, type in your origin, destination, and date of travel on the ITA Matrix, a flight search engine. Once you find your flight, click on the details arrow to the far right to find out exactly what type of plane you’re booked on.

Airlines sometimes have schedule changes, especially for flights booked more than a few months in advance, which could change the time a flight takes off or the type of aircraft used. A day-of change of aircraft (or equipment, in airline lingo) is rare, unless there is a mechanical issue or