If you've spent any time in the travel community, you've probably seen people go out of their way to fly a specific aircraft.

Someone books a longer connection on a Boeing 787 instead of a Boeing 777….someone else might change airlines completely to fly and experience an Airbus A350 or Boeing 747.

Others refuse to fly certain aircraft altogether.

But should the average traveler actually care?

The answer is yes, but probably not for the reasons most people think.

Give this a test…ask someone what aircraft they flew on during their last vacation.

The answer? Most won't know or have any clue…

But what they will remember is:

In all reality, very few could tell you whether they flew an Airbus A321neo or a Boeing 737 MAX. That's because aircraft type rarely determines the overall experience by itself.

Instead, what matters is how the airline configured that aircraft.

A Boeing 787 isn't inherently luxurious and neither is an Airbus A350. At the very core, they're simply a way to get from one point to another. Where the experience is differentiation occurs, is ultimately determined by the airline.

For example:

A Boeing 787 operated by one airline may feature:

Another airline could operate the exact same aircraft with:

Same airplane. Completely different experience.

This is arguably the single biggest misconception in aviation.

People often ask: "Is the A350 better than the 787?"

The better question is: "Which airline configured it better?"

Think about some of these examples:

The aircraft enabled those experiences.

The airline created them.

There are situations where aircraft choice could genuinely impact your trip.

Composite aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A350 operate at a lower cabin altitude, maintain higher cabin humidity, and feature quieter cabins than many older widebody aircraft. However, while no airplane can ultimately eliminate jet lag, these improvements can reduce passenger fatigue, minimize dryness, improve overall comfort, and help travelers arrive feeling more refreshed after long-haul flights.

As such, these improvements become most noticeable on flights lasting eight hours or longer.

Different aircraft produce noticeably different cabin noise. While some are exceptionally quiet, others are much louder, particularly around the engines. Subsequently, a quieter cabin can significantly improve overnight flights.

If turbulence is a concern, larger aircraft generally provide a smoother ride. From a physics perspective, their greater mass and inertia make them less susceptible to small atmospheric disturbances than smaller airplanes.

While all commercial aircraft are engineered and certified to safely withstand turbulence far beyond what passengers typically experience, larger aircraft often feel more stable simply because they don't accelerate or change attitude as abruptly when encountering the same air currents.

This is where aircraft type begins to matter again. Based on aircraft size, different airplanes have different cabin widths. As such, this can influence seat width, aisle space, window alignment and even boarding flow.

Take the below example on two United flights from IAD-LHR. On these two flights on the same day for this route, at the time of this writing, United operates UA918 as a Boeing 777-200 with a 3-4-3 configuration in Economy and 2-4-2 in Premium Plus.

United also operates the second non-stop flight on the same date that departs just a few hours later. However, this flight uses a Boeing 767-400ER. As this is a slightly smaller, aircraft the configuration also changes significantly. In Economy, there is a 2-3-2 configuration, while Premium Plus is a 2-2-2 configuration.

Neither aircraft is inherently "better." The Boeing 777 simply allows United to carry more passengers, while the narrower Boeing 767 creates different seating arrangements.

For many travelers, those differences are far more important than the aircraft model itself. A traveler flying in Economy may prefer the 767's 2-3-2 layout to avoid middle seats, while another may choose the 777 for greater seat availability or a different departure time. In other words, the aircraft type matters because it shapes the cabin experience, not because one airplane is objectively superior to another.

This is where the answer becomes more subjective, and the answer is sometimes. For example, if you're flying 90 minutes domestically, aircraft type probably shouldn't influence your decision.

What should be prioritized from The Fare Theory perspective, would be price, schedule and nonstop options.

But if you’re flying 14 hours to Asia or 8+ hours to Europe, this is where aircraft type deserves some consideration. Those key factors such as cabin pressure, seat design, business and premium economy options (and not to mention, entertainment!) come into play.

That’s because these are differentiating factors that could meaningfully change the experience.

Many travelers optimize for the wrong variable. They'll choose an Airbus A350 with a terrible connection instead of a nonstop Boeing 777 that gets them home four hours earlier.

Remember:

The goal isn't to fly your favorite airplane….the goal is to maximize overall travel value.

Sometimes that means choosing the newest aircraft, and other times it means taking the cheaper fare or avoiding a connection altogether.

Yes, it’s true…aircraft enthusiasts love airplanes. But not everyone is an aircraft enthusiast. Most travelers should love outcomes.

This means that the best flight isn't always the one on the newest aircraft…it's the one that delivers the greatest combination of comfort, convenience, reliability, and value for your specific trip.

Aircraft type is one variable.

It just isn't the most important one.