In the wake of an Alaska Airlines flight Saturday when a door plug flew off a Boeing 737-9 MAX, Kayak reports seeing a 15-fold increase in the use of its aircraft filter by travelers who want to know the type of aircraft they'll be on before booking.
“Kayak makes it easy for concerned travelers to avoid 737 MAX flights," Kayak CEO Steve Hafner said.
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The metasearch platform moved the filter up on its platform so it would be more visible to users. It also added the ability for users to search by 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX aircraft models - before, the 737 MAX models were listed in one group.
The metasearch company created the aircraft filter in 2019 on the heels of the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash and the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in 2018 - both incidents involved Boeing 737 MAX planes. The jump in filter usage occurred between Saturday and Wednesday, although Kayak did not specify how much the filter had been used before then but did indicate it was a low baseline.
Following the spike, the metasearch platform moved the filter up on its platform so it would be more visible to users. It also added the ability for users to search by 737-8 MAX and 737-9 MAX aircraft models - before, the 737 MAX models were listed in one group.
Currently, Boeing 737-9 MAX planes have been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration. It’s unclear how long the Boeing aircraft will be prevented from flying. The Boeing 737 MAX-8 model is still being flown.
While the filter may be helpful during the booking process, Hafner advised concerned passengers to exercise increased caution after purchasing their ticket too.
“Airlines do often substitute equipment - so travelers should double check before departure,” he said.
Google Flights displays the type of aircraft in search results but does not allow users to filter by type. And Skyscanner confirmed to PhocusWire it also does not offer this sort of filter.