Search

Out with the Old, in with the MAX at Southwest

Share this article

On Friday, 29 September Southwest Airlines retired the last 30 737-300 ‘Classics’ in its fleet ahead of the 737 MAX’s entry into service today. Southwest was the launch customer for the 737-300 in 1984 and took delivery of 150 of the type direct from Boeing. Southwest currently has 200 737 MAX on order.

Goodbye Classics

Southwest 737-300 retirement flights from across the country to Victorville (VCV)

Over the past few months Southwest transferred at least 58 737-300s to Victorville (VCV) for interim storage. The airline plans to sell all of these aircraft as quickly as possible, so if you’re in the market for a used 737, do reach out to Southwest.

The final scheduled Southwest 737-300 flight

The final scheduled ‘Classic’ flight was WN68 from Houston to Dallas.

In with the MAX

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Southwest livery

Southwest retired its fleet of 737-300s in anticipation of the 737 MAX’s entry into service today. The airline has taken delivery of nine 737 MAX 8 and has a total of 200 MAX aircraft on order so far.

Track the Southwest 737 MAX with aircraft code ‘B38M’

The Southwest MAX fleeting operating on 1 October 2017

The first MAX flight was WN1 from Dallas to Houston, one of Southwest’s original routes.

The first Southwest Airlines 737 MAX revenue flight

Comparing the Classic and the MAX

Passengers will notice many differences inside the cabin, but the biggest difference may be on the flight deck. Check out a Southwest 737-300 flight deck and then take a look at the upgraded MAX.

On The Radar Logo

Get the latest aviation news delivered to you

Get the latest aviation news delivered to you

Flight tracking and aviation industry news direct to your inbox

Aviation news comes quickly, so join more than 1.7 million others who receive weekly aviation industry and flight tracking news from Flightradar24 direct to their inbox.

Share this article
Latest threads
Latest video

Most wanted airport receiver locations

We’re always looking for additional receiver hosts in areas that either lack coverage or need additional coverage. Help us grow the Flightradar24 ADS-B network.

Trending articles
On The Radar Logo
Get weekly updates on Flightradar24 and have the latest aviation news land in your inbox.
AvTalk Logo

AvTalk Episode 317: The (Q1) results are in

Most wanted airport receiver locations

We’re always looking for additional receiver hosts in areas that either lack coverage or need additional coverage. Help us grow the Flightradar24 ADS-B network.

How flight tracking works

Flightradar24 combines data from several data sources including ADS-B, MLAT and radar data.
Search the blog
Follow us
Latest AvTalk Podcasts
More stories
Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian aircraft. The move comes amid rising tensions following an attack by gunmen in Kashmir and a series…
London City International Airport is located in the heart of London, enabling convenient access to the city for some 3.5 million passengers per year….
On 21 April 2025, an aircraft using the call sign WELCOME was spotted in the skies above Lviv, Ukraine. Unidentified in the Flightradar24 database…

Flight tracking top 10 aircraft

Explore the top 10 most tracked aircraft and find out why these particular aircraft draw so much interest.

Help to grow our flight tracking coverage

We are continually looking to improve our flight tracking and the airports below are where new receivers will add the most coverage. Apply for a receiver today and if accepted you’ll receiver a free Flightradar24 Business Subscription.

Free ADS-B Receiver
Flightradar24 logo
Try the full Flightradar24 experience free for 7 days
Remove ads and unlock over 50 additional features
On The Radar Logo

Get the Flightradar24 Aviation newsletter

Flight tracking and aviation industry news direct to your inbox

Aviation news comes quickly, so we want to bring more of the aviation world to you with our weekly Flightradar24 aviation newsletter - On The Radar.

On The Radar Logo