Overview

• Southwest placed its first 737 MAX 8 with the retractable gate-like barrier into revenue service over Labor Day and says all new deliveries will include it.
• The airline expects roughly 25 to 26 barrier-equipped aircraft in service by the end of the year as crews incorporate the new procedure.
• The FAA’s 2023 rule covers only newly produced passenger jets and retrofits to in-service aircraft are not yet certified or required.
• Regulators granted a roughly one-year extension, making operational use mandatory by mid-2026, and most major carriers signaled they will wait.
• Boeing and Airbus have begun delivering jets with the barriers; United and American confirm at least one such delivery each, Alaska expects its first in November, and the barrier must be deployed, closed and locked whenever the cockpit door is open in flight.