I'm sure he could pick it out of a lineup, but the visual differences are subtle and liveries can really change the profile of a plane (often intentionally as a

I'm sure he could pick it out of a lineup, but the visual differences are subtle and liveries can really change the profile of a plane (often intentionally as a sort of branding). It also might have been departing during the AM in the dark. Or maybe he didn't pay attention because he trusted the airline to provide what they offered (naive I know), and hopefully not mistake models in their own fleet for one another. Anyone traveling directly from Seattle to the east coast probably makes that trip often, which is an excruciating 4-5 hours aboard a plane taking you 3 hours into the future. Maybe he did notice the plane roll up to the gate, and that it was different from the plane he used as criteria for his purchase, and that it was instead the exact plane he outspokenly refuses to fly on. He could go quietly complain to the desk for a voucher or something else that would get brushed away. Or he could board with intent to vocally complain that he and passengers are on a 737 MAX, the one that keeps showing up in the news, not a 737 like folks thought they were purchasing and is not obvious to laymen. It's also highly unusual for that flight to not be a 737 (or AirBus equivalent). Airlines with Boeing fleet that offer direct flights between Seattle and the east coast are almost exclusively using 737s on those routes. The plane was designed for that unique range and capacity, so those margins are just about the only thing that keeps those direct flights running.