My sincerest apologies to those of you who clicked on this review hoping to see how exciting and new the experience with Southwest Airlines’ MAX 737 is.
How noticeable is the lack of power outlets in the interiors of most other aircraft in the fleet, when compared to the exact same interior of the Southwest 8 MAX?
This destination is definitely a doozie, so if you’re going, stick to Southwest Airlines. The review I’ve read about it is unlike any other.
On Monday, February 6, 2023, I flew on a 737 MAX 8 aircraft with registration number N1807U from Honolulu, HI (HNL) to San Diego, CA (SAN) on flight WN2230. The duration of the flight was 5 hours and 21 minutes, and I had a Business Select seat in the 7A section.
The video
I mean, I couldn’t make a video about how I did not make it to Honolulu. The decision to do it again was made easy by the fact that this flight was the destination. I have made videos about the previous experience with Southwest Airlines.
The 737 MAX 8, let’s concentrate on it at the moment, but the advantages and disadvantages of flying Southwest Airlines to Hawaii are considerable. Undoubtedly, the destination will be the main highlight of this review.
Arrival at Terminal 1 at the San Diego International Airport
If you didn’t know, the smallest terminal at this airport is the one where you should indicate your arrival time. It is currently the terminal for this airport (specifically the terminal for Southwest Airlines at SAN).
Arriving at T1, you will have a friendly warning that you will be early and bored, as you wait for a long time on the flight board. The closer you cut it, the happier you will feel, despite the fact that you have to wait for a long time.
The boarding process for flight number 2230 to Honolulu
Today was the day of redemption! It truly annoyed me when, at the very last moment, they replaced the aircraft with a 737-800 on a flight from San Diego to Las Vegas, a little over a year ago. To clarify, this was my second try at flying on a Southwest 737 MAX 8.
One of the main reasons why I think Select Business is worth it is because I was able to check-in online lightning-fast and get a good spot in the boarding line before the day. Thanks to the fact that I paid for an upgrade to Select Business, I was able to board before the third person in line.
My first impressions of the Southwest Airlines 737 MAX 8 seats
Yup, it’s the same bones-bare experience that you read about in my Southwest 737-700 review. Not all of the seats are comfortable, and they are covered in blue vinyl. Southwest’s fleet recently-configured their aircraft, so the boarding experience on the 8 MAX felt consistent and had good commonality with the rest of the fleet.
The departure out of San Diego
I had been on the right-hand side seat of the aircraft since my departure from San Diego.
During the descent, you will also get a really nice view of Oahu, and you won’t have the sun beating down on you for the entire flight. However, my past experiences have taught me that if you want to sit on the side with the best view when flying out to Hawaii, #themoreyouknow.
In-flight entertainment
Amazing is the streaming platform (accessible from your personal gadget), however, there are, naturally, no visual displays in the chairs. Surprisingly, Southwest Airlines does provide an incredibly comprehensive in-flight entertainment choice on the MAX 8.
In his introductory statement, he mentioned that he intends to perform the same actions as the pilot, which can be verified using the flight tracker. Additionally, there is a flight tracker available to ensure that the pilot adheres to his stated plans in the welcome announcement. Moreover, there is a wide array of TV shows, music, and movies to select from.
The Southwest offering competes strongly against Delta (who is widely regarded as having the best in-flight entertainment in the US). However, when comparing Southwest to American Airlines, I cannot make the same claim. Nowadays, the streaming service available on the MAX 8 surpasses whatever AA is offering. In that scenario.
It’s worth noting that Southwest Airlines does not provide earbuds for free or for purchase, so you have to bring your own.
The food
It is important to bring your own food on these 5.5-hour flights to ensure that you are satisfied, as the mix of snack and dried fruit, along with crackers, in the snack box served is not enough. However, on flights from the mainland US to Hawaii, they serve a slightly more substantial snack box consisting of robust snacks such as dried fruit and crackers. Southwest Airlines serves complimentary snacks on all flights over 175 miles.
Drinks such as coffee, soda, and water are complimentary. Unless you purchase a Business ticket, alcohol is available for purchase. In case you purchase a premium drink, you will receive a coupon for a free one.
Southwest 737 MAX 8 seat comfort
They are consistently maintaining the same standards. The space for legs (seat pitch) is average, they provide no lower back support, and the seats are firm. Essentially, all the observations I made about the seats in my review of Southwest Airlines’ 737-800 can be applied to the MAX 8 as well. This is the section of the review where I begin to reiterate my points.
The descent and arrival into Honolulu
How amazing is it that upon your arrival, even after a long time away, it’s always nice to arrive at the islands? The best part of this review, by far, is the descent over the island of Oahu and into HNL. However, it’s not comparable to anything on Southwest.
Pros and cons of flying on the Southwest Airlines 737 MAX 8
Since Southwest Airlines started using the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on a wide variety of routes within the continental United States, the focus of this list is on the pros and cons of the aircraft. I mentioned earlier that I am going to write a separate article about the pros and cons of Southwest Airlines flying to Hawaii.