summary
- Air Canada, Air St. Pierre, Icelandair, United Airlines and WestJet will operate Boeing 737 flights between North America and Europe this summer.
- There are 25 routes operating with an average of 22 departures per day.
- WestJet last used a 737 across the North Atlantic in 2022, and its return has played a big role in the record numbers.
This summer, one in every 26 flights from the U.S. and Canada to Europe will be a 737, and almost all of them will be operated by the MAX.This finding is based on research OAG Data for all flights between June and September.
Transatlantic 737 Service: Overview
As the numbers below show, there have never been more 737 flights crossing the North Atlantic as scheduled between June and September.
There will be average Airbus A320/A321 has 22 departures per day (twice round trip) compared to 55 per day and 578 for all aircraft combined. This is an average, so some days there will be more service and some days there will be less service. (Due to the low number of flights in 2020/2021, this was intentionally excluded.)
Source: OAG.Illustration: James Pearson
In 2018, this number was driven by Norwegian Air, which operated flights to Providence and Stewart that year. The significant decline in 2019 was primarily due to the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX.
While this record number is closely tied to the overall increase in single-aisle aircraft and the increase in Icelandair’s 737 MAX flights, WestJet has played a key role.
Canada’s second-largest airline first used the narrow-body version in Europe in June 2014 when a 737-700 (pictured below) flew between St. John’s and Dublin. This was WestJet’s first transatlantic service. However, his 737 with the airline ceased flying to Europe in 2019 and will return in 2022. WestJet currently has the most flights scheduled to date.
Photo: Joe Kunzler | Simple Flight
737 companies and routes: Summer 2024
To make the large table easier to read, frequencies, start dates, etc. are not listed. With the exception of new routes, high-level details are provided for returning routes. All aircraft are MAX unless otherwise noted.
Icelandair also uses 757/767s alongside 737s on several routes. For example, the 737 MAX 9 will operate only seven of the 122 flights to Minneapolis from June to September of this year.
Photo: Icelandair
Saint-Pierre is located off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, but is part of France. I include it here for convenience. Especially since the weekly daytime transatlantic service to Paris CDG during the summer is very interesting.
Airlines | Route (737 flights from June to September) |
---|---|
air canada | Halifax to London Heathrow, Toronto to Keflavik, Montreal to Keflavik |
Air Saint Pierre | Saint-Pierre to Paris CDG (737-700 is wet leased from ASL) |
icelandair | From Keflavik to New York JFK, Boston, Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare, Toronto, Baltimore, Raleigh-Durham, Detroit, Pittsburgh (new; starting May 16, four times a week), Vancouver, Halifax (last offered in 2018), Orlando International, Minneapolis |
united | Newark to Ponta Delgada |
waist jet | Toronto to Dublin (operating in 2022 only), Toronto to Edinburgh (operating in 2022 only), Halifax to London Gatwick (last service in 2022), Calgary to Keflavik (new; (starting May 15, 4 times a week), Halifax to Dublin (last service in 2022), St. John’s to London Gatwick (last service in 2017), Halifax to Edinburgh (last service in 2017)new; Three times a week from June 20th. Have been flying to Glasgow for a number of years, most recently in 2022) |
I have flown across the North Atlantic on an Airbus A321LR and a Boeing 757, but never a 737. If so, please share your experience in the comments section.