flydubai has unveiled new Business Class Suites for some of the newer Boeing B737MAXs scheduled to join its fleet later this year and beyond.
The Business Suites
flydubai has opted for seats from Safran, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of aircraft seats. The airline will be the debut customer of this particular seat type. Let’s get into the details.
The new “Business Suite” is a fully enclosed space and flydubai says that the seat features a open-plan design “for greater social interaction” and passengers will be able to choose their own level of privacy based on their mood.
The seat features multiple storage options along with ambient lightning incorporated into the shell of the seat, under the ottoman and inside personal stowage areas.
The seat features a 17-inch 4K inflight entertainment screen which also allows passengers to connect their personal headphones via Bluetooth, a feature increasing becoming common on most mainline carriers.
Also, the seat turns into a 75-inch lie-flat bed.
flydubai is committed to exceeding expectations. Our business and product offerings have evolved from the initial no-frills model over the past 14 years to cater to the ever-growing needs of our customers and the markets we operate to. We have come a long way since the introduction of our first Business Class offering in 2013, which has served us well. Today, we are proud to unveil a new premium product which rivals the Business Class experience offered by many airlines on wide-body aircraft. We will continue to invest in innovation to enhance the customer experience across our growing fleet.
said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai.
The Business Class cabin will feature 10 seats in a 1-1 configuration. The first aircraft featuring the new Business Suite is expected to join the flydubai fleet in November and it will be present on up to six B737MAX aircraft by the first quarter of 2024 and will be scheduled on select longer flights around the flydubai network.
The new business suite will take comfort on board to the next level. The increased height of the back-shell, a sliding suite door and direct aisle access for every passenger create a level of privacy never before seen on Boeing 737s. We have been working with Safran Seats and JPA Design over the past three years to develop an experience that meets the growing demand for premium air travel services across our network, offering passengers wide-body comfort on our narrow-body fleet.
said Daniel Kerrison, Vice President of Inflight Product, flydubai.
Stay up to date: Sign up for my newsletter to never miss latest Aviation and Travel news.
Note that there are three more types of Business Class seats available on flydubai:
- Introduced in November 2021, the recliner-style Business Class seats available on 12 B737MAX-8 aircraft which are deployed on short and medium haul routes
- Introduced in November 2017, the carrier’s signature lie-flat Business Class seats are available 31 B737MAX-8 (10 seat configuration) and three B737MAX-9 aircraft (16 seat configuration)
- The original Business Class seat offering by flydubai introduced in October 2013 installed on 20 B737-800NG (New Generation) aircraft
This looks awesome!
It’s interesting to see flydubai transform into such an airline where it can compete with the legacy carriers. Remember that flydubai, backed by the UAE government, started as a Low Cost Carrier (LCC). flydubai operates only narrow body Boeing B737 family aircraft and operates flies up to 5-6 hours long. Having a codeshare partnership with its big brother Emirates, the airline mainly flies connecting passengers.
Airlines have been focusing a lot on hard products on narrow body aircraft lately, mainly to stay competitive in the market. The new Business Suite product looks awesome to say the least.
From the seat finishes to the overall design of the SAFRAN seat, everything looks awesome. The only thing which flydubai will have to do right will be the soft products, which always has mixed reviews from travellers, although it is also true that the prices differ substantially from the mainline carriers.
One thing which I always talk about airlines when they introduce new hard products is the inconsistency they (will) have going forward. flydubai is no different. It will have four different Business Class products, each catering to different market segments. Unless and until the airline reserves these new Business Suites for particular routes which it says will do, one cannot be sure which seat they will be flying on.
Leaving all this aside, the Business Suites look great. Combined with the B737MAX’s Boeing interior, I am sure it will be joy to fly in one of these seats.
Featured image by flydubai
All the other images by flydubai
What do you think of flydubai’s new Business Suite product? Let me know in the comments section below.
Follow IH Aviation and Travel on Social Media on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.