Alaska Airlines retires last remaining Boeing 737-900 amid ongoing fleet renewal

The main advantage of the Boeing 737-900ER over its predecessor is its extended range—up to 3,775 miles—and additional emergency exit doors that allow for higher passenger capacity. Despite these enhancements, Alaska Airlines kept seating configurations consistent between both models.

Alaska Airlines also adopted the Boeing 737 MAX 9 as part of its modernization efforts. While this model offers advanced technology and lower operating costs, it has faced challenges such as grounding after two fatal crashes involving other airlines' MAX aircraft and an incident on an Alaska flight in January 2024 when a door blew out mid-flight.

The original Boeing 737-900 was not widely adopted across airlines; only Alaska Airlines, KLM, and Korean Air operated this variant. In contrast, Southwest Airlines remains the largest operator of various other versions within the broader Boeing 737 family.

Alaska Airlines continues to expand its fleet with new orders for twelve more Boeing 737 MAX 8s and sixty-three larger MAX 10s—expected to begin arriving by 2027. The carrier has operated most major variants since introducing its first Boeing jet in the early seventies.

The airline deploys its current fleet—including seventy-nine active Boeing 737-900ERs—on routes across North America. According to Cirium data from May 2025, high-frequency services include flights between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), among others.

Looking ahead at long-haul operations beyond narrowbody jets, Alaska Airlines recently revealed plans for new international routes using incoming Boeing 787-9 widebodies, including flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Reykjavik Keflavik International Airport (KEF).

Commenting on these developments earlier this year, CEO Ben Minicucci stated: “With these bold moves, we are accelerating our vision to connect our guests to the world. We are seizing this moment to redefine the international experience and level up. And we’re doing it with the same relentless focus on safety, care and performance that’s always defined us. I’m so proud of how our people continue to step up and deliver as we push ahead on these initiatives, with even more to come.”

Alaska Airlines remains committed to modernizing its fleet while maintaining strong ties with longstanding partners like Boeing as it retires older models such as the once-groundbreaking but ultimately less versatile Boeing 737-900.