In the post:
"The incident follows the mid-air loss of a tire from a United Boeing 777-200 Thursday, just after the plane took off from San Francisco on a flight to Osaka, Japan, and an engine fire on a United flight from Houston to Fort Myers, Florida, earlier this week. The plane in the Houston-to-Florida flight had to make an emergency landing after one of its engines burst into flames 10 minutes after takeoff. The 21-year-old aircraft was also a 737 -- but an earlier version than the Max, according to FlightRadar24."
Was it a "777-200" or was it a "21 year-old... 737"?
The 777 is like the 737's big brother. It's substantially larger, boasting a typical seating arrangement that can accommodate upwards of 300 to 400 passengers, depending on the variant. The 737, on the other hand, is more of a middleweight, seating around 85 to 215 passengers, also dependent on the model.
The 777 is an endurance athlete. It's built for those long-haul international flights, capable of flying distances north of 8,000 miles—with the 777-200LR variant hitting upwards of a staggering 15,000 miles. The 737, though, prefers a sprint; it's a short to medium-range jet, ideal for hopping from one domestic spot to another, with its legs stretching anywhere from about 2,935 to 6,510 miles.
Both models sport two engines, but their power differs as starkly as a Prius and a Tesla. 777 engines are muscular, designed to handle the additional weight and range, while the 737's engines are more modest, aligned with the aircraft's size and flight scope.
Boeing filled the 777 with the latest and greatest in aviation technology. It has fly-by-wire controls—a sophisticated system that replaces manual controls with an electronic interface—and massive twin jet engines that could just about swallow a 737's fuselage. The 737, particularly the Next Generation (NG) models, isn't exactly flying a typewriter across the sky, but it’s more of a classic feel when it comes to operation.
The 777 and 737 were born for different reasons. The 777, a wide-body aircraft, is a marathon runner designed for long distances, carrying more passengers, and overall bigger payloads. In contrast, the 737 is that reliable car that everybody in town has had at some point—it's the workhorse of short-range aviation and among the best-selling jet commercial airliners.