Ever wonder what the differences are between the Boeing 737-900 and the 737-900ER? Well,
the ER part of it might give it away, if you know what those letters stand for. But there’s
actually more to the story. Let’s look at how the jets are built differently in today’s video…
The Boeing 737-900 was born in April 1997 to compete with the 185-220 seat, Airbus A321.
This variant featured a seven-foot ten-inch fuselage extension giving it
an overall length of 138 ft 3 inches - longer than the Boeing 707-120.
The 900 has nine percent more cabin floor space and eighteen percent more cargo space
than the -800; however, Boeing opted to use the same NG emergency exit layout, with four
main exit doors and four overwing exits. This means the maximum passenger load is still 189.
The -900 would not be very popular, with only 52 orders. The limited additional seating meant
airlines had little incentive to switch to the 737-900 from the -800, as it only seated about
a dozen more passengers at best. Meanwhile, the A321-200 could carry 200-220 passengers. However,
Boeing was not calling it quits, and sought to upgrade the 737-900 to make it more competitive.
The -900ER was created by adding capacity for up to 215 passengers in one-class seating.
This variant added a pair of Type II doors aft of the wing for passenger
evacuation regulations and installing a new flattened aft pressure bulkhead
which would add an extra fuselage frame of cabin space (approximately one row of seats).
The flat bulkhead became standard on all 737s from 2006 and the Type II door also
became standard on all series 900s- although operators could choose to have it deactivated.
The -900ER’s Range was increased with the
addition of two 1,970 liter [520 gallons] auxiliary fuel tanks.
This meant the aircraft could fly up to 3,200 nautical miles - or 2,800 nautical
miles without optional winglets. The jet also had reinforced landing gear legs, wing-box,
and keel beam structure to handle the increased Maximum Take-Off-Weight of 187,700 pounds.
The -900ER, according to ch-aviation.com, won 505 orders. This popularity underscored the
demand from airlines for higher capacity, single-aisle jets.
Even with more weight than the base -900, the -900ER has more range and is more efficient
when it comes to fuel burn per passenger. It’s also interesting that the 737-900ER
was intended to be an attempt to replace the Boeing 757-200- in a 737 package.
And even though major customer Alaska Airlines never operated 757s, the airline would use its
order of 737-900ERs to replace its little 737-400s to gain more capacity, efficiency, and range.
Have you flown on the relatively rare 737-900? Or how about the more common
737-900ER? Share your experiences with us by leaving a comment!