What is the difference between a 737 and 737-800?

The 737-800 is the best-selling 737NG variant. It has a redesigned wing with a larger area, a wider wingspan, greater fuel capacity, and higher maximum takeoff weights (MTOW) and longer range.



The Boeing 737 is a broad "family" of aircraft that has been in production since the late 1960s, whereas the 737-800 is a specific model within the "Next Generation" (NG) series. The original 737s (the -100 and -200) were much smaller, featuring distinctive cigar-shaped engines and shorter ranges. The 737-800 was introduced in the late 1990s as a "stretched" version of the 737-700, designed to replace the aging 737-400. In 2026, the -800 remains one of the most common aircraft in the world. It features a significantly longer fuselage (approx. 129 feet), advanced winglets for better fuel efficiency, and modern CFM56-7 engines. While a generic "737" might refer to any of the four generations—Original, Classic, Next Generation, or MAX—the 737-800 specifically refers to the high-capacity, mid-range workhorse capable of seating between 162 and 189 passengers.

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Comparing the 737 MAX 8 directly to the 737-800 on numbers alone, it quickly becomes evident that the newer MAX series has a longer range and the ability to carry an extra 18 fare-paying customers in a two-class setup. The MAX 200's high-density layout also allows it to hold more passengers than one-class 737-800s.

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The Boeing 737-800 is one of the most common aircraft in the world, and considered to be one of the safest. For comparison, all models of the Airbus A300, another popular commercial aircraft, have a marginally higher crash rate of 0.46 crashes per million flights.

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Southwest Airlines - the largest operator Correspondingly, it also operates the world's largest fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. According to Planespotters.net, it presently consists of 728 examples of aircraft from the popular narrowbody family, with an average age of 12.5 years.

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The 737-800 has been a stalwart of the commercial aircraft fleet since its introduction in 1998. Although production ended in 2020, with the last 737-800 delivered in January to China Eastern subsidiary China United Airlines, AviationValues' fleet data shows 4,729 live passenger aircraft.

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The Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts are returning to the skies. If there is an aircraft that you want to avoid it is this one. The 737MAX has been responsible for the deaths of 346 people in 2 separate plane accidents.

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Therefore, the ERJ135/140/145 members of the family are among the safest airliners in history. The Airbus A340 is also one of the safest, with no fatal accidents involving any of the 380 units since its introduction in March 1993.

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On an American Airlines Boeing 737-800, for example, the seat-rating site SeatGuru warns of several “bad” seats, denoted in red. They include all the seats in row 30, at the back of the aircraft. The reasons are obvious: Like Conway's, the seats in row 30 are next to lavatories and don't fully recline.

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The accidents and grounding cost Boeing an estimated $20 billion in fines, compensation and legal fees, with indirect losses of more than $60 billion from 1,200 cancelled orders. The MAX resumed commercial flights in the U.S. in December 2020, and was recertified in Europe and Canada by January 2021.

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Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines do not operate Boeing aircraft.

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The 737-800 has a maximum fuel capacity of 6,875 gallons, which it carries in fuel tanks in its wings, as seen here, and in a fuel tank located underneath the passenger cabin's midsection. Fully loaded, the jet can fly up to 3,159 miles without refueling.

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In-Flight Entertainment About 85% of the 737-800s have seatback video monitors that feature 100 channels of live television provided by DirecTV.

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On Delta, the 737-800 (73H) has a litany of windowless windows, but in different spots: rows 13, 15, and 16, with several surrounding rows sporting paltry partial windows. Yet, as with the preferred seats on AeroMexico, these rows are classified as Comfort+, upgradeable from standard economy.

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“If you could book a 737 500, and you find out it's a 737 MAX, technically they don't have to honor your request. … So you don't have a right to specify you are not going to go on a 737 MAX.”

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The 737-800 is the best-selling variant of the 737NG and is the most widely used narrow-body aircraft. Ryanair, an Irish low-cost airline, is among the largest operators of the Boeing 737-800, with a fleet of over 400 of the -800 variant serving routes across Europe, Middle East, and North Africa.

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Because of the sheer intensity of the scrutiny the aircraft faced, the Boeing 737 MAX could be considered one of the safest in the world. In fact, among the dozens of models of commercial airliners around the world, it is likely the safest due to the amount of regulation testing that took place.

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