In case you haven't heard, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the only major aviation authority in the world not to ground the potentially dangerous Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft while an investigation is made into the cause of the recent crash and/or until Boeing implements a fix to the aircraft.
If you don't want to fly on one of these aircraft-- and who could blame you?-- then you'll need to be diligent when making your reservation to make sure you check the aircraft type and/or flight details on the route your booking.
However, that doesn't mean that American, Southwest or United (the major U.S. carriers who use the 737 Max) can't switch out the aircraft originally scheduled for your flight with a 737 Max (called an "equipment change"). The only way to be sure about avoiding this aircraft is to be flexible with your travel plans and monitor your booked flight on Flightaware.com the day of your flight. FlightAware will tell you about the specific aircraft to be used on your flight, including where it is originating and its status before it arrives at your airport-- so you'll have at least a few hours (or more) to react if you see a 737 Max has been unexpectedly assigned to your route/flight.
You can also make use of the website Planespotters.net, which contains specific information on the aircraft used by all carriers. If you're so inclined, you can look up and/or print out the registration/tail numbers of all the 737 Max aircraft in your airline's fleet. If you see one of them bad boys roll up to your gate prior to your flight, then you have the option to change to another flight.
Southwest Airlines does not charge any change fees-- and they are also currently waiving any fare differences for passengers who want to change their ticket so that they can avoid a Boeing 737 Max. Both American Airlines or United have so far refused to waive change fees for customers in a similar situation, however.
Good Luck!
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