Alaska Airlines plans resumption of 737 MAX 8 flights to New York-JFK in June

Alaska Airlines' 737 MAX 8 aircraft are relatively rare at New York-JFK, predominantly appearing in the months of June through August 2024, October 2024, and December 2024, according to Cirium's data. During October and December, the 737 MAX 8 aircraft exclusively operated flights to New York’s largest airport from the Pacific Northwest.

Beyond New York-JFK, these aircraft will serve various destinations across the United States, including intra-Alaskan routes such as Anchorage to Juneau International Airport, Ketchikan International Airport, King Salmon Airport, and Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport.

Alaska Airlines operates five 737 MAX 8 aircraft, a small number compared to its fleet of 74 737 MAX 9 aircraft. Of Alaska Airlines' 9,674 weekly flights in June, the 737 MAX 8 is set to operate 191 flights, representing 1.9% of the airline's total schedule.

Expectations for fleet expansion include plans to have up to 20 737 MAX 8 aircraft by the end of 2026, with nine deliveries scheduled for 2025 and six for 2026, in line with the company’s annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Additionally, Alaska Airlines anticipates eight deliveries of 737 MAX 9 aircraft in 2025.

Boeing has aimed to certify the 737 MAX 10 by the end of the year, although Alaska Airlines does not expect to receive this variant until 2026. The carrier also plans to retire its 737-900 models, completing the transition by moving out the last six of these aircraft from its fleet during the year.