Exterior differences

Boeing and Airbus planes may look the same from a distance, but up close they have many differences.  Ranging from windows to their tails to their wings, their differences are very noticeable. Here are a few notable ones.

Cockpit: The cockpit window furthest back on an Airbus has a 90-degree angle in its bottom corner. A window in the same location on a Boeing is slanted downwards. 

Nose: Airbuses have rounder, shorter noses. The noses on Boeing planes are longer and pointer.

Engine:  Airbuses have round, fully circular engines. Boeing engines are not perfect circles and are usually flat on the bottom and round on top. In addition, Airbus engines are located directly under the wings, and Boeing engines protrude more. 

Tail: Look at the slope that connects the tail to the plane's main body. If the slope is large, it's likely a Boeing.

This is a picture of a Boeing 737 and an Airbus A320. The differences (many of which I covered) are labeled