Southwest Airlines recently introduced its new Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes becoming the first carrier in North America to offer service on the aircraft.

“Today, we begin a new chapter in Southwest's history by introducing the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to our customers and employees,” Gary Kelly, Southwest’s chairman & CEO, said in a statement onboard the inaugural flight from Dallas to Houston. “The MAX 8 is the future of the Southwest fleet.”

The new aircraft features a single-class cabin with 175 seats, each with 32 inches of seat pitch. The planes offer an LED lighting sequence for each phase of flight and a music-infused cabin experience featuring playlists for boarding and deplaning.

With the new aircraft launch, the airline retired its last Boeing 737-300 aircraft, also known as the "Classsics", with the final service taking place on the William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) to Dallas Love Field (DAL) route. The aircraft model has been a part of Southwest’s fleet for 33 years, seeing the company through decades of growth. 

Houston serves as Southwest's international hub.