… is what you’ll probably be saying as you read about this routine trip to Oakland. I know, I know. That’s quite the clickbait-y headline, but there are only so many times I can come up with a unique angle for a short hop up north. I will say, however, that the return was my second flight on a MAX, and I had the chance to explore it more. It is really a fantastic ride as a passenger.
This trip was booked just over 3 weeks out which got me the $80.98 one way fare out of Long Beach. I was on a 737-700 going up but a MAX on the way back, so I looked forward to the comparison.
This was a one-night trip, and that’s when it gets murky whether to take a rideshare or pay for parking at $19 a day. This time I opted to pay for parking. I left home an hour before departure, parked, and walked into a very slow-moving Precheck line. I don’t know what the agent working the machine was doing, but that belt was not moving. The ID checker had to stop the line for awhile because the belt was so backed up that there was no more room for him to put people. In the end, it took me 10 minutes to get through, which is a lot in Long Beach.
On the way to the airplane, I had to stop and stare.
That Herb plane in the desert gold is a looker. My airplane, however, wasn’t in any special colors. It was just your run-of-the-mill delivered to Malev then flown by Transaero… Southwest 737.
I had checked in the night before and got boarding pass B28, a somewhat alarmingly low number on a 737-700, but I still knew that I’d get a window thanks to dual boarding. See, everyone just waits on the ramp that goes up to the front door, but if you go to the back and walk up the stairs, you’ll get on well before them. I did and took a window right behind the wing.
Southwest 2606
May 30, 2023
From Long Beach
➤ Scheduled Departure: 750a
➤ Actual Departure: 748a
➤ From Gate: 9
➤ Wheels Up: 757a
➤ From Runway: 30
To Oakland
➤ Wheels Down: 847a
➤ On Runway: 30
➤ Scheduled Arrival: 910a
➤ Actual Arrival: 901a
➤ At Gate: 32
Aircraft
➤ Type: Boeing 737-7Q8
➤ Delivered: November 22, 2004 to Malev
➤ Registered: N7876A, msn 29355
➤ Livery: Hot Dog on a Stick
Flight
➤ Cabin: Coach in Seat 16A
➤ Load: ~90% Full
➤ Flight Time: 50m
We departed on time and made our way down to Runway 30. This runway had been closed on Tuesday and Wednesday for the previous six weeks due to maintenance work, but it was in good order on this day. We took off into the marine layer and found ourselves above it in short order.
The ride up had some light chop much of the way, but it was very quick at only 50 minutes runway to runway. I had a glass of water and was hungry enough to down the salty death mix. I didn’t feel the need to log on and do any work. Instead I just stared out the window at the sun since we haven’t seen much of it for a few weeks here in Southern California thanks to the usual May Gray/June Gloom. The Bay Area (below) wasn’t much better, but it did clear out for us later in the day.
After landing, we taxied to the furthest gate in Oakland, 32. I walked off, made my way outside, and hopped on BART to head into town. It was a productive trip that mixed work with a couple of A’s games. Gotta get those in while they’re still there, and yeah, this was a good day…
After the Wednesday matinee finished, I headed back to the airport for my flight home. This time, my airplane would be parked in Terminal 1. That used to be the cats-and-dogs terminal, but Southwest has slowly taken over more and more gates in there. Security was completely empty in Terminal 1, and airside was only slightly busier.
My airplane pulled up after a flight in from Kahului (Maui), and it was one of what I’ve been told some people internally call the Spice Girls. There were about a dozen MAX aircraft that were destined for SpiceJet but they were rejected. So, Southwest picked them up. If you’re curious if you’re on one, just look at the registration. Anything that starts with N18 is one of those, and I was on N1806U.
Strangely enough, they all end in U, so that means they share registrations from United DC-10s of old. The previous N1806U was delivered to United in the Friendship colors in 1971. It went to Fedex in 1997 where it became N367FE and was retired in 2014.
Anyway, I digress. I waited until we were told to line up for boarding. I had checked in and got A58 this time, so I was feeling good about that. I felt even better when the agent said the airplane was less than half full. Huzzah.
Southwest 2192
May 31, 2023
From Oakland
➤ Scheduled Departure: 520p
➤ Actual Departure: 519p
➤ From Gate: 10
➤ Wheels Up: 528p
➤ From Runway: 30
To Long Beach
➤ Wheels Down: 628p
➤ On Runway: 30
➤ Scheduled Arrival: 645p
➤ Actual Arrival: 641p
➤ At Gate: 7
Aircraft
➤ Type: Boeing 737-8 MAX
➤ Delivered: October 14, 2022
➤ Registered: N1806U, msn 60652
➤ Livery: Hot Dog on a Stick
Flight
➤ Cabin: Coach in Seat 16A
➤ Load: ~45% Full
➤ Flight Time: 1h
The MAX interior really does feel a lot nicer than the old -700s, probably especially since the seats look and feel so much better. (Oh yes, the mood lighting and big bins help too.)
The crew had asked people to spread out for weight-and-balance, so I kept walking until I realized not a single person had taken an exit row. I snagged one of the windows with endless legroom and no seat in front.
We had a quick taxi and took off as the marine layer was starting to return for the evening. All I could think about was just how quiet this airplane was. It was a remarkably smooth afternoon for flying as we climbed our way to altitude. The flight attendants came through and I decided to have a Wild Turkey. The flight attendants brought it to me, and then I opted to take a walk.
I couldn’t believe how quiet it was over the wing, so I curious what it was like elsewhere. I walked to the back and was surprised that it was even quieter behind the wing.
I then walked forward and it was equally quiet. The flight attendants up front asked me if I needed anything. I told them no I was just listening, and one of the flight attendants lit up saying “we love our MAXs.” She said the quiet was nice, but the MAXs don’t get hot up front like the -700s do. All around, they just love working that airplane.
Before I left, she told me that there were a few leftover snack packs from the Hawai’i flight in and asked if I wanted one. I was glad to take it to the kids. I then went back to my seat and enjoyed the rest of the flight.
I’ve been playing with time lapses on my phone, so I took this one coming into Long Beach. I should have slowed it down, but oh well… next time.
We made it in early and then taxied by a soon-to-be-rare sight. With Virgin Orbit failing, the 747 has been sold off to Stratolaunch in a fire sale, so these colors will be gone soon enough.
I was ready to go home, but our gate was taken. We had to wait a few minutes until the gate cleared and then we were in. I saw the brand new baggage claim facility on my way out.
It has a roof, but the sides are open. It reminded me of what you find on Maui, and it’s a big improvement over the tiny shelf that was being used before.
