Westjet has taken delivery of its first B737 Max 8 aircraft, becoming the first Canadian airline to operate the next-generation Boeing plane.
The low-cost carrier has a total of 50 Max aircraft on order for delivery through to 2027 – comprised of a mixture of Max 7, Max 8 and Max 9s.
The first Max 8 will enter service on November 9 on Westjet’s Calgary-Toronto route, and is configured for 174 seats, with three rows of Plus seating at the front (in a 2-2 layout with the middle seat blocked), and a further 11 rows offering a seat pitch of 34 inches.
Westjet joins American Airlines and Southwest as the third North American carrier to take delivery of the B737 Max.
Last week the airline unveiled the name of its forthcoming ultra low-cost subsidiary Swoop, which will launch in 2018 using B737-800 aircraft.
In other news Westjet has partnered with Canadian “fresh casual restaurant” The Chopped Leaf, to offer the brand’s “whole bowls, multi-grain sandwiches and salads” for pre-purchase or buy-on-board on more than 250 daily flights beginning in mid-November.
In a release the airline said that “ingredients in The Chopped Leaf items are made from real food including whole grains, vegetables and meats that contain little to no preservatives”, adding that “meals will be rotated throughout the pre-purchase and buy-on-board menus as more products and variety are developed”.
