That's underestimating the impact the Max 8 problems have had on peoples' willingness to board these planes. The two flight attendant unions that have to travel on Max 8s demanded the planes be grounded and one threatened to refuse to board the planes if they weren't grounded.[1]

It's hard to measure the impact of sentiment alone since they grounded the places pretty quickly and numbers are reported quarterly, but its very likely we would have seen travelers choosing airlines that don't fly the Max 8.

[1] https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/flight-attendants-union...

Maybe not 99% of all customers but probably a higher percentage of frequent flyers and people that buy more expensive tickets as these tend to have their preferences for plane types / airlines / seats.

I have those preferences, but they tend to be "Goddamnit it, one of the Virgin A320s. Hate the exit row on those..." not "Well, I'm going to take another flight."

What's specifically bad about the exit row on Virgin A320s? I like the legroom on the BA A320s

I find the mechanism for the door intrudes further into the cabin than a lot of others, which means the window-exit seat feels more crowded, rather than less.

It was enough of a big deal that Southwest Airlines said they would accommodated any passenger who didn't wanted to fly on the Max. My mom, not a frequent flyer, kept emailing me about the problems with it before they were taken offline.

I am sure way more than 1% of the population cares if they fly on this plane.

Yea, I have never looked at equipment when buying a ticket and still wouldn't. Price, departure, arrival, and duration - roughly in that order - are the only things that matter to me.

I have looked at it to choose between two puddle-jumpers, I chose the one that was the jet over the turboprop.

I always prefer the turboprops. There are fewer people in the cabin, and the flight is usually more scenic as the captain will often choose a lower cruising altitude than the jet jockey would. Additionally, there are more quality window seats, because the turboprops are normally high-wing, which means there is no wing between any of the windows and the ground, allowing a larger range of vista viewing.

Interesting. Why?

Not the op, but for me the turboprops I've flown on [0] have a deeper, louder droning noise that really gives me a headache after a while. I think it's personal though, I've spoken about hating them with travelling companions and no one else shares my dislike. I've never actively tried to avoid them though, mainly because I rarely have a choice of time or route when I fly on the airlines I know use them.

[0] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Canada_Dash_8

>I think it's personal though, I've spoken about hating them with travelling companions and no one else shares my dislike.

That's because most people these days have significant hearing loss.

>Interesting. Why?

Not sure if academic curiosity or Marketing guy looking for a lead...

I need a break from my cynical side.

Genuine academic curiosity. I wish that I hadn't asked the question because I now realize that I was dumb. I totally misinterpreted what the commentor meant. When they said "the one that was the jet over the turboprop", I somehow thought they meant "the plane with the turboprop engine having the intake on the top, as opposed to bottom, of the propeller". No idea why I thought that.... Now, though, I wonder if those exist...

Same for me and most travelers, but previously there hasn’t been much of a reason to care.

If nothing else, now I’m glaringly aware that Southwest and AA are the primary U.S. carriers that fly Max’s. Chances are it would at least be a passing thought if either had a good option on a metasearch site.

I would never fly one if I had the option that wasn't prohibitively expensive.

I fly reasonably frequently and factor the plane if its going to be longer than 2 hours or I am flying with kids. I've taken somewhat more expensive tickets when flying long distance with kids because it makes a huge difference when they are comfortable. On long flights, not just the equipment but the airlines makes a difference too. Under a 1 hr flight, I wouldn't care if I had to stand all the way.

> as if even 1% of people actually factor in the plane model when buying their ticket

As if they have to do it before buying their ticket.