Key Boeing customers Southwest and American satisfied in the early days of 737 Max 8 operations

After making its US debut with Southwest Airlines and American during 2017, the Boeing 737 Max will continue to populate the fleet of those large operators in 2018. Combined, Southwest and American hold firm orders for 253 of the 737 Max 8 variant.

Although those airlines have hundreds of Max narrowbodies on order, the actual operating fleet of Max jets in the US remains small. CAPA's fleet database shows Southwest and American operate fewer than 20 of the 737 Max 8 model; however, the 737 Max fleet will continue to grow steadily in the US throughout 2018.

So far, the Max 8's service entry has been reasonably smooth, and Southwest has publicly declared that the aircraft is meeting its expectations in fuel burn performance. The airline also recently stated that it had not experienced any major issues with the new narrowbodies.

The US' largest domestic airline is also hinting that benefits from new tax regulations in the country could spur additional aircraft orders for Boeing from one of its most influential customers.