dailynewsnblog
It is never easy to move from a 
Boeing aircraft to an Airbus aircraft, or vice versa, and this is most definitely the case when looking at the Airbus A220 and Boeing 737 MAX. Stepping into the A220 flight deck instantly shows that the differences extend far beyond cockpit branding. While Boeing preserved a 1960s-era yoke layout to retain type rating continuity, the original manufacturer Bombardier designed the A220 around a clean-sheet fly-by-wire system. Mechanical linkages, elevator feel units, and heavy control wheel resistance disappear entirely.
For pilots, these differences mean changing how they manage energy, handle controls, and interpret flight deck feedback through a completely different interface. Major airlines operating both types guide crews through a transition, replacing central yokes with passive side-sticks and digital envelope protection. So what are the differences that pilots notice, and are these two flight decks actually that dissimilar?
Yoke Or Sidestick?
The most immediate shock when entering the A220 cockpit is the open space created by removing the 737 control column. On the 737 MAX, the central yoke dominates the flight deck, sweeping through a wide arc during manual flying and autopilot movement. Taking away this central column on the A220 frees up forward legroom and unblocks direct line-of-sight access to the primary flight displays.
In place of the yoke, the A220 positions a passive side-stick on each outboard console. Manual flying does not need cross-cockpit arm movements or continuous mechanical force; instead, control inputs rely on subtle wrist movements. As a result, the flight deck becomes a spacious workstation featuring a retractable tray table directly in front of each seat. Additionally, side windows sit higher relative to the pilot’s eye position than the panes on the 737 MAX, improving visibility during visual approaches.
Removing the center yoke does also take away the key visual and tactile indicator of flight control movement. On the 737 MAX, a pilot instantly feels or sees the yokes move during autopilot operation or cross-cockpit manual flying. Moving to the A220 passive side-stick means control inputs from one pilot produce zero movement on the opposite stick, a massive change in how crews monitor flight controls.
The Art Of Trimming
When active force feedback disappears, control trim management is basically a digital speed-reference system, as opposed to something that can be seen or felt outside of a screen. On the 737 MAX, trimming relieves continuous aerodynamic loads on the control column through electric pitch trim switches or manual trim wheels spinning beside the center pedestal. Releasing the column without trimming causes the aircraft to pitch up or down as dynamic pressure acts against the tailplane. The Airbus A220 redefines this dynamic through a C*U fly-by-wire flight control law, blending load factor commands with conventional speed stability logic.
Unlike the Airbus A320 family, which relies on a pure C* law to maintain a given flight path and 1G load factor regardless of airspeed changes, the A220 enforces traditional speed-stable behavior. Trimming the A220 does not move a trim wheel or change horizontal stabilizer position directly, and instead, it adjusts a target airspeed represented by a cyan trim bug on the primary flight display speed tape. Pitching away from this target speed causes the flight control computers to introduce a restoring force demand, commanding the aircraft to pitch back toward its trimmed speed if the side-stick is released. Adjusting this trim via the side-stick rocker switch in increments of 2 knots (3.7 km/h) to 5 knots (9.3 km/h) allows pilots to fly the aircraft through speed-stable pitch commands while benefiting from full flight envelope protection.
The combination of synthetic speed stability and zero control movement makes pilot workload less about muscle memory and more about digital instrument monitoring. Flying an approach in the A220 feels familiar in terms of pitch-speed handling, but the absence of a moving column or spinning trim wheel removes major auditory and physical cues. As power changes alter pitching moments, the fly-by-wire computers adjust elevator positioning to maintain trimmed airspeed without moving the side-stick.
Setting Thrust in Different Ways
On traditional Airbus aircraft like the A320 series, thrust levers remain parked in fixed detents during autothrust operation and digital engine controls adjust power automatically. Bombardier designed the A220 thrust quadrant with active, backdriven servomotors that drive the levers forward and aft, as per the A220 FCOM. For a pilot accustomed to the 737 MAX, this design preserves vital peripheral and tactile feedback, ensuring power adjustments during automated flight are immediately felt under the hand and seen on the pedestal.
Managing power on the A220’s twin Pratt & Whitney PW1500G Geared Turbofan engines introduces distinct control modes compared to the 737 MAX’s CFM LEAP-1B setup. On the 737 MAX, setting takeoff thrust involves advancing levers to an intermediate setting before engaging autothrottle switches to drive the levers to calculated targets. The A220 combines lever movement with gated detents, including Takeoff/Go-Around (TOGA) and Flex/MCT (Maximum Continuous Thrust). As the levers travel between idle and climb detents during autothrottle operation, pilots can override the system instantly by pushing or pulling the levers, which disengages autothrottle mode without pressing thumb disconnect switches.
The active lever design brings Boeing’s mechanical heritage together with modern fly-by-wire automation, reducing confusion during go-arounds or windshear recoveries. Thrust lever operation feels familiar, though the management of aircraft systems, engines, and navigation parameters requires interacting with a completely redesigned avionics suite. The 737 MAX’s mixture of four large glass screens and dozens of legacy overhead toggle switches gives way to five integrated landscape displays and automated electronic checklists.
Workflow Becoming Digitized
Replacing mechanical overhead toggle switches with five integrated landscape displays streamlines system management into a centralized digital workflow. On the 737 MAX, four 15 inches (38 cm) screens display flight and engine data, but the pilot still needs to interact with hundreds of circuit breakers, toggle switches, and rotary knobs scattered across a dense overhead panel. The Airbus A220 replaces this layout with a Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion suite featuring five 15 inches (38.1 cm) interchangeable displays. Pilots control navigation, system synoptics, and communication menus using pedestal-mounted Cursor Control Devices, shifting interaction from reaching overhead to operating trackballs beside the thrust levers.
The most substantial reduction in pilot workload comes from the A220 integrated Electronic Checklist system with automatic switch-sensing technology. Running through procedures on the 737 MAX needs a two-pilot challenge-and-response protocol where crews locate switches on overhead panels and verify amber light illuminations. On the A220, the flight management system monitors switch positions and system states in real time. As a pilot toggles a control, the electronic checklist automatically checks off the corresponding line item on screen, turning green to confirm completion. During high-workload phases or emergency inflight scenarios, this automation removes manual verification steps and significantly decreases head-down time.
Streamlining flight deck interaction behind five screens and automated checklists speeds up pre-flight tasks and minimizes human error during non-normal operations. However, this level of automation creates a regulatory partition between aircraft families, meaning that airlines have to work through fundamental differences in pilot qualification and training requirements.
A Quick Switch Or Months Of Adjustment?
Upgrading a pilot from a 737 Next Generation to a 737 MAX can be achieved through a targeted differences training module lasting fewer than six days, preserving the unified FAA B737 type rating established in 1967. Moving a pilot to the A220 will mean completing an entirely new, standalone initial type rating course under the BD-500 regulatory designator. This curriculum consists of three to four weeks of intensive ground school, systems training, and at least 12 full-flight simulator sessions to master fly-by-wire flight laws and Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics.
There is no Cross-Crew Qualification between Boeing narrowbodies and the A220, so carriers like 
Delta Air Lines and Breeze Airways have to operate strictly isolated pilot rosters. Training throughput logistics face additional strain from real-world engine maintenance realities, as extensive powdered-metal inspection mandates on Pratt & Whitney PW1500G Geared Turbofan powerplants have periodically grounded portions of active A220 fleets. Flight operations departments have therefore reallocated simulator hours and delayed scheduled transition classes while airframes await maintenance visits.
The requirement for a full initial type rating means that the high fuel efficiency and superior comfort of a clean-sheet design are always being weighed up against the substantial capital cost of pilot retraining when airlines are looking to lock in their aircraft order sheets. The reality now is that the choice between preserving fleet commonality and embracing clean-sheet automation defines the future trajectory of narrowbody flight decks.
Which Philosophy Will Win?
On one side there is the Boeing 737 MAX, and on the other is the Airbus A220, two aircraft that have a similar purpose but have a very different flight deck philosophy. Boeing has proven that stretching a six-decade-old type rating can save airlines billions of dollars in crew retraining, but that continuity comes at the cost of cockpit space, physical ergonomics, and increased pilot workload. Conversely, the A220 demonstrates how digital fly-by-wire automation, integrated glass displays, and spacious flight deck geometry can fundamentally improve pilot experience, provided an airline is willing to absorb the initial capital expense of a standalone type rating.
With next-generation aircraft projects taking shape, the pilot interface will continue migrating toward higher levels of digital system supervision. The rapid adaptation of thousands of former 737 pilots to the A220 is showing that aviators readily embrace digital flight decks when key tactile bridges, such as active moving thrust levers and speed-stable pitch trimming, are preserved. With two differing philosophies on display, the question naturally becomes which one will become dominant over the coming years. History has shown that while differences are inevitable, the move towards industry-wide design norms is equally inevitable, and only one design can come out on top.
