United Airlines’ Longest Nonstop Routes With The Boeing 737 MAX In 2025

United Airlines loves the Boeing 737, and the Boeing 737 MAX is one of its favorite versions of the 737. While United’s 737 MAX fleet is smaller than its 737NG fleet (236 versus 328), the airline has outstanding orders for 278 737 MAX aircraft. Today, over 50% of its fleet is made up of Boeing 737s, and the airline is the world’s largest customer for the 737 MAX 9 and the 737 MAX 10, while also being one of the largest customers for the 737 MAX family worldwide.

United Airlines currently flies 123 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and 113 Boeing 737 MAX 9s. It also holds orders for an additional 111 737 MAX 9s as well as 167 737 MAX 10s. Along with the Airbus A321neo, these are the carrier’s newest and most fuel-efficient narrowbodies. As such, United tends to operate them on its longest flights within the aircraft’s range. Using data from Cirium, an aviation data analytics company, we’re going to explore United’s longest 737 MAX routes in 2025.

737 MAX Routes To Anchorage, Alaska

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United’s longest route using the 737 MAX in 2025 is from Newark to Anchorage, Alaska. This route only operates during the summer season, using a 737 MAX 8, and it covers a distance of 2,927 NM (5,422 KM), nearly the same distance as Newark to London. Flight times are blocked for seven hours 48 minutes flying to Anchorage, and six hours 59 minutes returning, with Alaska Airlines also competing with a 737 MAX 8 to New York-JFK.

Alaska is far from the continental US, but Anchorage has significant demand as it is the largest city in the state. As such, United makes an effort to serve Anchorage from multiple hubs, using the 737 MAX on all of its routes. Its summer seasonal route from Washington-Dulles is its second-longest 737 MAX route, spanning a distance of 2,916 NM (5,400 KM). This route also uses a Boeing 737 MAX 8, and is blocked for five hours 31 minutes to Anchorage, and five hours and five minutes returning.

United also operates a seasonal route to Anchorage from Houston, another route flown exclusively by the 737 MAX 8. It ranks as the carrier’s fourth-longest Boeing 737 MAX route overall, and it crosses a distance of 2,837 NM (5,254 KM). Furthermore, the carrier’s route from Chicago to Anchorage ranks as its ninth-longest 737 route, measuring at 2,473 NM (4,580 KM) with a mix of 737 MAX 8s and 737 MAX 9s. United also flies to Anchorage from Denver and San Francisco, but these routes are much shorter.

A Secondary Route To Alaska

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The other major city in Alaska for commercial air service is Fairbanks. It is closer to the Mainland US than Anchorage, and it’s served not only by United, but also by Air North, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Everts Air, Warbelow’s Air Ventures, Wright Air Service, Amazon Air, DHL, and Empire Airlines. United flies seasonally to Fairbanks from Chicago-O’Hare and from Denver, using the Boeing 737 MAX 8 on both routes.

The route from Chicago to Fairbanks ranks as United’s ninth-longest 737 MAX route. The flight operates daily during the summer season, and it spans a distance of 2,420 NM (4,482 KM). The flight is blocked at five hours 31 minutes going westbound and six hours four minutes for the return. The flight from Denver is significantly shorter and does not make the top ten list for United’s longest routes using the 737 MAX.

United configures its Boeing 737 MAX 8s with 166 seats, identical to its 737-800s. These planes feature 16 first-class seats and 150 economy seats, including 54 economy plus seats. The 737 MAX 8 was the first aircraft in United’s fleet to feature the “Signature Interior” with the company’s current interior design language and seatback screens. With the 737 MAX’s quieter interior and larger overhead bins, these planes make for a relatively comfortable ride on these long flights to Alaska.

San Francisco To Latin America

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While San Francisco is mainly used by United as a gateway to Asia, the carrier does still operate a large number of flights to the Caribbean. Its route from San Francisco to Panama City is its third-longest route using the 737 MAX, crossing a distance of 2,885 NM (5,343 KM) with a Boeing 737 MAX 8. This route operates alongside a daily flight by Copa Airlines, which is a close partner of United Airlines.

United’s sixth-longest 737 MAX route is from San Francisco to San Jose, Costa Rica. This route uses the Boeing 737 MAX 8, flying a distance of 2,640 NM (4,891 KM). Flight time is scheduled for six hours 27 minutes flying to San Jose, and seven hours five minutes returning to San Francisco. The route operates daily for most of the year, although the route does not operate for part of the year.

United’s seventh-longest 737 MAX route is from San Francisco to Liberia, Costa Rica. The route crosses a distance of 2,560 NM (4,741 KM) using a mix of Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The route operates year-round on Saturdays and Sundays, and United also serves Liberia from Houston and Newark. Furthermore, the carrier operates seasonal flights from Chicago-O’Hare, Denver, Los Angeles, and Washington-Dulles.

Newark To Funchal

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United Airlines, rather uniquely, operates a transatlantic route with the Boeing 737 MAX 8. This route is from Newark Liberty International Airport to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, also known as Funchal Airport, in the Portuguese autonomous region of Madeira. United first launched this route earlier this year in June, and it will be returning for the summer 2026 season. The route operates thrice weekly and is the airport’s sole service to the United States.

The route from Newark to Funchal is 2,761 NM (5,114 KM), making it the fifth-longest route in United Airlines’ network to use the Boeing 737 MAX. The flights are blocked for six hours 50 minutes flying east-bound and seven hours 30 minutes flying west-bound. East-bound winds over the Atlantic tend to be extremely strong compared to those over North America, but the comparatively short distance means that the impact of the winds is relatively minimal.

United has become experimental with its transatlantic operations out of Newark because of the size of the hub, along with the immense local demand for long-haul travel in the New York region. The airline has primarily used its Boeing 757 fleet to serve smaller destinations like Shannon and Porto, but it’s using the 737 MAX 8 for this route. Additionally, it also uses the type for service to Ponta Delgado, although this route is significantly shorter.

Houston-Intercontinental To Guyana

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Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport is United’s primary hub for service to the Caribbean and South America. United relies heavily on the Boeing 737 for these operations, as its entire 737 fleet is ETOPS-certified, along with the Boeing 757. Meanwhile, none of its Airbus A319s, A320s, or A321neo aircraft are ETOPS-certified. As such, all but one of its narrowbody routes to Latin America from Houston use the Boeing 737.

The route from Houston to Georgetown, Guyana, is United’s eighth-longest route using the Boeing 737 MAX. This route uses the Boeing 737 MAX 8, and it operates four times a week. The route crosses a distance of 2,521 NM (4,669 KM) and is blocked for six hours 20 minutes flying to Georgetown, and six hours 30 minutes flying to Houston. This is also the second-longest 737 MAX route out of Houston, after the route to Anchorage.

While United’s Houston hub is its primary hub for Latin America, its location is less than optimal for much of the US. Instead, it’s American Airlines that dominates this region with its perfectly located Miami hub. American Airlines operates daily flights to Georgetown, also with the 737 MAX 8, and it operates daily flights from New York-JFK. Additionally, Georgetown sees service to the US by JetBlue, Caribbean Airlines, and Surinam Airways.

Rundown Of The Longest United 737 MAX Routes

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United Airlines’ longest routes using the 737 MAX are to Alaska, Europe, and Latin America. With such a large fleet, the carrier can base these planes at virtually every hub, and given how large its 737NG fleet is, it chooses to send these planes on longer routes. For United, it can greatly reduce operating costs due to the 737 MAX’s incredible fuel efficiency, while passengers can enjoy the aircraft’s quieter ride. Below is a full list of United’s longest routes using the Boeing 737 MAX.

It primarily focuses on the 737 MAX 8 variant, although this is mainly due to the larger size of the MAX 8 fleet and the aircraft’s smaller size. Had United felt that these destinations had enough demand for the Boeing 737 MAX 9, many of these routes would have seen this variant as the MAX 9 still has extremely long-range, even if it’s less than the MAX 8.