FOLLOWING the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday and the Lion Air crash last year, a number of airlines around the world have grounded their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes over concerns about safety.
Until this morning, some airlines were still operating the model – but there’s a free and simple tool that Brits can use to see what aircraft they are flying on if they’re worried.
EPA
Passengers who are concerned about their safety and want to find out what plane they will be travelling on for an upcoming journey can use Seat Guru’s free tool.
It’s easy to use – all you need to do is to input the airline you’re flying with, the date you’re travelling on and the flight number if you know it.
Even if you don’t know your flight number, you can still use the tool – you just need to put in your departure airport and destination instead.
However, it’s worth bearing in mind that airlines will sometimes change the aircraft they use at the last minute for operational reasons.
Boeing
This could be because there aren’t enough passengers, or there are more passengers than expected.
It could even be because there was a delay elsewhere or a last minute fault that means an aircraft needs to be changed.
The Boeing 737 Max is the best selling commercial jet in history with the latest version being operated by airlines around the world.
In the UK, Norwegian Air and Tui were both still operating the Boeing 737 Max 8 until this morning.
The CAA has since temporarily banned the model from the UK airspace.
Both TUI and Norwegian have confirmed that they are complying with the ban.
TUI told Sun Online Travel that passengers due to fly with them will travel on alternative aeroplanes.
Norwegian said that they have over 100 alternative models but have not confirmed which passengers might be affected.
Which? Travel warned that passengers may still end up flying on a Boeing 737 Max 8 if the airline they’re flying with is operating on a code share basis with a carrier that hasn’t grounded the model yet.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: “Some passengers may be breathing a sigh of relief that the regulator has taken precautionary action to ground Boeing 737 Max planes in the UK but they should be aware that they could still end up on one of these aircraft on their next journey if it involves a transfer in another country.
“Given the level of publicity about this issue, UK airlines who have sold tickets with codeshare partners operating these planes should consider informing passengers who might be affected in advance and giving them the option to switch to another route with a different aircraft for free.
“If there are flight cancellations or delays caused by the grounded aircraft, this is likely to be deemed extraordinary circumstances which would mean you are not entitled to compensation – but you may still be entitled to a refund or rerouting and assistance such as meals, refreshments, hotel accommodation or transfers.”
At least nine Britons died following the Ethiopian Airlines crash on Sunday.
Flight ET302 had just taken off from Addis Ababa when it encountered trouble and crashed.
It follows a Lion Air crash in Indonesia last year where the same aircraft model was involved.
