Besides this route, Alaska Airlines will initially operate the new 737-9 MAX 9 between Seattle/Tacoma and Los Angeles.

Alaska’s second 737-9 MAX is expected to start service later in March.

Alaska Airlines commented on its plans to inaugurate the new type:

Teams from across various divisions at Alaska will now follow a strict readiness timeline that guides the actions that must be taken before the start of passenger flights. The process – involving rigorous rounds of test flying, verifying and specific preparations – will take five weeks:

• Các kỹ thuật viên bảo trì sẽ trải qua khóa đào tạo để làm quen nhiều hơn với máy bay mới. Họ sẽ nhận được ít nhất 40 giờ “đào tạo về sự khác biệt”, giúp phân biệt sự khác biệt giữa MAX mới và đội bay 737 NG hiện có của hãng hàng không. Một số kỹ thuật viên nhất định sẽ được đào tạo thêm tới 40 giờ chuyên môn tập trung vào động cơ và hệ thống điện tử hàng không của máy bay.
• Alaska's pilots will put the 737-9 through its paces, flying it more than 50 flight hours and roughly 19,000 miles around the country, including to Alaska và Hawaii. These “proving flights” are conducted to confirm our safety assessments and those of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and to ensure a full understanding of the plane’s capabilities in different climates and terrain.
• Our pilots will receive eight hours of MAX-specific, computer-based training prior to flying the aircraft over the course of two days, which includes at least two hours of training in Alaska's own certified, state-of-the-art MAX flight simulator. That’s where they fly several maneuvers specific to the aircraft and better understand the improvements that have been made to the plane.

Alaska announced a restructured order agreement with Boeing in 2020 Tháng Mười Hai to receive a total of 68 737-9 MAX aircraft in the next four years, with options for an additional 52 planes. The airline is scheduled to receive 13 planes this year; 30 in 2022; 13 in 2023; and 12 in 2024. The agreement incorporates Alaska's announcement last November to lease 13 737-9 aircraft as part of a separate transaction.

These 68 aircraft will largely replace Alaska’s Airbus fleet.

Above Copyright Photo: Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N915AK (msn 44080) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 947423.