Airliner Spotting Guide This guide will hopefully you help you to learn to spot the difference between a 737-700, an Airbus A321, a Dash 8 and any other airliners you may come across. This guide is arranged in alphabetical order by manufacturer. This guide only covers those models that are still flying, so some models of aircraft won't be mentioned.

Spotting Tips

The quickest way to determine the manufacturer of an airliner is to look at the cockpit windows. Each manufacturer has a unique cockpit window arrangement that is carried across their line of aircraft. There are additional smaller details that can be used to determine which model (ie: 737-800) of an airplane type (ie: 737) you are looking at. These details include the number of emergency exits, the engines on the aircraft, or the length of the aircraft. A note on the emergency exits. Unless stated otherwise, all aircraft have the same number of emergency exits on each side of the aircraft.

Airbus

A320 Series

There are four models in the A320 series. They are the A318(pictured above), A319, A320, A321. The A318 is the shortest model of the series and has one window exit. The A319 has one window exit like the A318 but is noticeably longer. The A320 has two window exits. The A321 is the longest model in the series and has four exit doors. The A320 series of aircraft has recently started getting winglets (Airbus markets them as Sharklets) installed on the aircraft giving the series a different look. With the Sharklets installed the series could be mistaken for a Boeing 737 series aircraft. A couple of ways to tell them apart is the A320 sits higher in the air and if that fails, look at the cockpit windows.

A300 Series

There are two models in the A300 series. They are the A300(pictured above) and the A310. The A300 is the longer of the two. The A300 series is no longer used in passenger service in the US but does see use as a freighter. The passenger version of the A300 has four exit doors, while the shorter A310 has three. Externally the A300 can be mistaken for the Airbus A330 series aircraft which looks very similar. To distinguish between an A300 and an A330 look at the wingtips. The A330 has large winglets where the A300 has small wingtip "fences" or may not have anything on the tip at all.

A330 Series

There are two models in the A330 series. They are the A330-200 and the A330-300(pictured above). Both models have four exit doors but the A330-200 is the shorter of the two models. Externally the A330 series can be mistaken for the Airbus A300 series which looks similar. To distinguish between an A300 and an A330 look at the wingtips. The A330 has large winglets where the A300 has small wingtip "fences" or may not have anything on the tip at all.

A340 Series

There are four models in the A340 series. They are the A340-200, A340-300 (pictured above), A340-500, and the A-340-600. The A340-200 and A340-300 are similar in appearance to one another except for the length of the aircraft with the A340-300 being the longer of the two and both having four exit doors. The A340-500 and A340-600 have different engines which are much larger in size than those installed on the A340-200 and A340-300. The A340-500 has four exit doors and is shorter than the A340-600 which has 5 exit doors and is noticeably longer. The "center fuselage" landing gear on the A340-200 and A340-300 has two tires with the A340-500 and A340-600 having four tires on this gear assembly.

A350 Series

There is currently only model in the A350 series flying, the A350-900.(pictured above)

A380 Series

There is currently one model in the A380 series, the A380-800. The A380 can easily be spotted among other airliners with its double-decker fuselage and massive size.

ATR ATR Series There are two models in the ATR Series. They are the ATR 42(pictured above)

and the ATR 72. The ATR 42 is the shorter of the two models. There are multiple variants of each model of which the primary differences are avionics, engines, and propeller changes. The ATR 42-300 has four-bladed propellers. The ATR 42-400, ATR 42-500, and ATR 42-600 all have six-bladed propellers. The ATR 72-100, and ATR 72-200 have four-bladed propellers. The ATR 72-500, and ATR 72-600 have six-bladed propellers. The ATR 42/72 could be confused with the DHC-8 (Dash 8) series of aircraft due to both being high-wing, twin turbo-prop aircraft. To distinguish between the two, look at the main landing gear. The ATR series has main landing gear that extends and retracts into the fuselage while the Dash 8's main landing gear extends and retracts into the engine nacelle.

Avro

Avro RJ Series

There are three models in the Avro RJ Series. They are the RJ70, RJ85, and RJ 100(pictured above). They are all similar in appearance with only efference being the length of the models. The RJ70 is the shortest with the RJ100 being the longest. The series may also be referred to as the BAe 146, which was the predecessor to the Avro RJ series. Although the BAe 146 is technically a different airplane, it looks largely identical to the Avro RJ and I know no way to tell them apart by simply looking at them.

Beechcraft

1900 Series

There are two models in the 1900 series. They are the 1900C and the 1900D(pictured above). The 1900D has winglets, aft strakes added to bottom of the fuselage, and has a taller cabin than the 1900C.

Boeing

717 Series

The 717 is the only model. It is based on the DC-9/MD-80 series of aircraft. It was originally to be named the MD-95, but was rebranded the 717 after the Boeing and McDonnell-Douglas merger in 1997. It can be mistaken for the MD-90 which is a derivative of the DC-9/MD-80 series of aircraft. The 717 is noticeably shorter than the MD-90 and the engine on the 717 tapers to a smaller diameter at the aft part of the engine and the aft part of the engine on the 717 is gray in color. Later models of the 717 also have the "eyebrow" windows above the main cockpit windows removed which is another way to distinguish the 717.

737 Series

There are eight models in the 737 series. They are the 737-200, 737-300, 737-400, 737-500, 737-600, 737-700(pictured above), 737-800, and the 737-900. The 737-200 sees some use on charter flights and can be identified by it's cigar shaped engines, similar to those found on the MD-80 series of aircraft. The 737-300 and above feature engines which have a squashed appearance when looking at the front. This was done to accommodate the larger engine on the 737-300 and above aircraft and to prevent redesigning the landing gear on the airplane to accommodate the larger engines. The 737-300, 737-500, 737-600, and the 737-700 all appear very similar with all having one window exit. The wing on the -600 and -700 is a slightly different design than the -300 and -500. The engines mounts on the -600 and -700 are different than those on the -300 and -500 with the mounts on the -300 and -500 extended further aft on the wing both on the upper and under side of the wing . This is a detail that can be harder to spot from a distance. The -500 and -600 models are also slightly shorter than the -300 and -700 models.

The -400 and the -800 appear similar to one another with both having two window exits. The wing and engine mounts on the -400 are the same as the -300 and -500, with the -800 having the same wing and engine mounts as the -600 and -700. The -900 is the longest of the 737 series and has two window exits like the -400 and -800, but the -900 is noticeably longer. Some -900 models are -900ER models and have a higher seat capacity which requires a third exit door which is located along the aft portion of the fuselage. Some airlines operate the -900ER with the same number of seats as the -900 and this third exit door is replaced with a fuselage plug, which resembles a door but can't be opened.

747 Series

There are three models in the 747 series. The 747-200, the 747-400(pictured above), and the 747-8. The 747 is probably the most recognizable airliner ever produced. The 747-200 is the shortest of the three models listed here. The 747-200 and 747-400 are the most similar in appearance. The 747-400 is longer, with the upper deck "hump" being longer than that of the 747-200. The 747-400 has winglets which helps to easily distinguish it from the 747-200. The most recognizable 747-200 is the aircraft commonly known as Air Force One. The 747-8 is the longest of the series and feature a number of noticeable changes over the 747-200 and 747-400. The 747-8 has a much longer upper deck hump, a differently shaped wing, and much larger engines which feature scalloped nacelles similar to those found on the Boeing 787 series of aircraft. There are freighter versions of the 747-400 and the 747-8. The 747-400F has the winglets of the passenger version but has a much shorter upper deck hump. The 747-8F has the redesigned wing, and scalloped engine nacelles of the passenger version, but has a much shorter upper deck hump.

757 Series

There are two models in the 757 series. They are the 757-200(pictured above) and the 757-300. The 757-300 is noticeably longer than the 757-300 and the 757-300 has a fourth exit door.

767 Series

The are three models in the 767 series. They are the 767-200, 767-300(pictured above), and the 767-400. The 767-200 is the shortest of the series and has one window exit. The 767-300 has two window exits. The 767-400 is longest of the series and has four exit doors and raked (angled) wing-tips. The 767-400 is noticeably longer than the rest of the series and could be mistaken for a Boeing 777-200 due to its length, but the 767-400 has four tires per main landing gear while the 777-200 has six tires per main landing gear.

777 Series

There are two models in the 777 series. They are the 777-200(pictured above) and the 777-300. The 777 series has a couple of unique features to help spot the series. The 777 is equipped with triple-bogey main landing gear with six tires per main land gear. The tail on the 777 series tapers to a thin flat surface resembling a flat-head screwdriver. The 777-200 has four exit doors and the 777-300 has five exit doors and is noticeably longer than the 777-200.

787 Series

There are currently two models of the 787 series flying. They are the 787-8(pictured above) and the 787-9. The 787 series can easily be identified by its scalloped engine nacelles. The 787-8 and the 787-9 both have four exits doors with the 787-9 being noticeably longer.

Bombardier CRJ Series

There are four models in there CRJ series. They are the the CRJ 200, the CRJ 700, the CRJ 900(pictured above), and the CRJ 1000. The CRJ 200 is the shortest of the series, has one window exit, has different engines than the other models, and the aft part of the fuselage is much blunter than the other models. The CRJ 700 has one exit window, and the winglets are angled out more than the CRJ 200. The CRJ 900 has two exit windows. The CRJ 1000 has two exit windows like the CRJ 900, but is noticeably longer than the CRJ 900.

DHC-8 (Dash 8) Series

There are four models is the Dash 8 series. They are the DHC-8-100, DHC-8-200, DHC-8-300(pictured above), and the Dash-8-400. The 100 and 200 models are the shortest of the models and look largely identical. The 100 typically has yellow-tipped propellers, while the 200 has white-tipped propeller blades with both models having one window exit, and a tail bumper on the bottom of the tail. The 300 is longer than the 100 and 200 and has one window exit which is located further aft on the fuselage. The 300 also has ditching dams located below the exit windows which resemble small bumpers, and no tail bumper. The 100, 200, and 300 all have four-bladed propellers. The 400 is noticeably longer than the other models and has six-bladed propellers and four exit doors and no tail bumper. The horizontal stabilizer (the horizontal part of the tail) has also been redesigned on the 400. The Dash 8 could be confused with the ATR 42-72 series of aircraft due to both being high-wing, twin turbo-prop aircraft. To distinguish between the two, look at the main landing gear. The ATR series has main landing gear that extends and retracts into the fuselage while the Dash 8's main landing gear extends and retracts into the engine nacelle.

Embraer

E120 Series

The E120 is the only model in the series.

E145 Series

There are three models in the E145 series. They are the E135, E140, and the E145. They all have one window exits, but are different in length. The E135 is the shortest with the E145 being the longest. Some E145s have winglets and a strake beneath the fuselage and these models are known as the E145XR.

E170 Series

There are four models in the E170 series. They are the E170, E175, E190(pictured above), and the E195. The E170 and E175 look very similar with both having four exit doors and no window exits. The E175 is longer than the E170 and newer E175 feature redesigned winglets which are angled further out. The E190 and E195 look very similar with both having four exit doors and one window exit. The E195 is longer than the E190.

Lockheed

L-1011 Series

The L-1011 is the only model in the series. The model sees limited use as a charter aircraft. The aircraft can be mistaken for the DC-10 Series of aircraft. The L-1011 has an engine mounted in the fuselage and uses an S-shaped air duct in the tail to provide air flow into the engine.

McDonnell-Douglas

DC-10 Series

There are different models of the DC-10 but all have the same basic look. The DC-10-30 added the center fuselage landing gear. The DC-10-40(pictured above) can be identified by the slight hump in the air intake for the #2 engine mounted in the tail. The DC-10 sees limited use as a freighter mainly as the MD-10 which features different avionics, but looks the same externally.

MD-11 Series

The MD-11 is the only model or the series. The MD-11 is based in the DC-10 series aircraft. The MD-11 is longer and has winglets. The MD-11 still sees limited passenger service and is widely used as a freighter.

MD-80 Series

There are five models in the MD-80 series. They are the MD-81, MD-82, MD-83, MD-87, and MD-88. They are all the same externally except for the MD-87 which is shorter. The MD-80 series can be distinguished from the 717 and MD-90 by it's engines which are long and narrow and resemble a cigar.

MD-90

The MD-90 is the only model in the series. The MD-90 is longer and has larger engines than the MD-80 series of aircraft on which it is based.

Saab

340 Series

There are a few sub-models with different avionics or engines but all have the same external appearance.

2000 Series. The 2000 is the only model in the series. The 2000 resembles the Saab 340 but the 2000 is longer and has six-bladed propellers.