Boeing 737 MAX 10 Is Certified: What It Means for Your Flights and Miles

The decision: Don't rebook, hold miles or chase specific flights because of this news. The FAA certified the Boeing 737 MAX 10 on October 20, 2026. Boeing says only that deliveries will begin in the coming months, and airlines still need time to add new jets to their schedules. For now, choose flights on price, timing and cabin as you normally would.

What the FAA approved

On October 20, 2026, the FAA announced that it had issued certification for the Boeing 737 MAX 10. The announcement says the FAA issued an amended type certificate, the regulator's confirmation that the variant complies with all applicable design and safety requirements.

According to the FAA, the jet can now be delivered to domestic and foreign carriers.

Why you probably won't fly one soon

Boeing says certification clears it to begin delivering the airplane in the coming months. The program has run years late. Boeing first planned to deliver the jet in 2020, according to Upgraded Points. The same report cites Cirium as saying nine MAX 10s had been built and parked as of late July. Even with some jets already built, Upgraded Points notes that airlines will need time to bring new planes into their fleets and schedules.

The plane in brief

The MAX 10 is the largest member of the 737 MAX family. Boeing lists capacity for 230 passengers in a maximum-seating configuration. In a typical two-class cabin, it seats 185 to 210 passengers and has a range of up to 3,100 nautical miles (Boeing). Upgraded Points expects to see it on busy domestic routes where airlines want more seats per flight.

Boeing's own figures show a tradeoff. Compared with the 737-8 and 737-9, the 737-10 carries more passengers but has less maximum range.

Who will operate it

Boeing reports 1,555 orders from more than 30 customers. Upgraded Points names United, Alaska, Ryanair, Delta and American among the biggest customers, but it flags uncertainty about United. In early 2024, United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would create a fleet plan that leaves out the MAX 10. Whether United changes course now that the jet is certified remains to be seen.

Miles and points: what doesn't change

Upgraded Points says the certification changes nothing about award pricing or elite benefits for members of United MileagePlus, Delta SkyMiles, Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards or American AAdvantage. It also cautions that more seats on a plane don't guarantee more award space, because airlines decide how many seats they release for bookings with miles.

Our inference: there's no reason to hold points while waiting for MAX 10 award seats. Search for awards the way you already do.

Safety changes, briefly

Before approval, the FAA required improvements that address requirements in the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act and NTSB recommendations. These include updates to the flight-control system with an enhanced angle-of-attack (airplane pitch) sensor. Boeing says the enhanced Angle-of-Attack system will become standard across the 737 MAX family. Boeing also says the 737-10 is the first commercial airplane certified to the full extent of that 2020 law.

Bottom line

When a MAX 10 does appear on your itinerary, Upgraded Points argues that the airline's cabin setup will matter more to your experience than the aircraft model name. Our inference: before you choose a flight, review the seat map and cabin description your airline shows.