FlyDubai is investing very nicely in its passenger experience, by upgrading the cabins of its older jets. Especially impressive is the pace with which this project is happening.
FlyDubai 737-800s get flat bed business class
FlyDubai is a Dubai-based carrier that’s owned by the government and partners with Emirates, exclusively flying Boeing 737s. The airlines have some overlap between their networks, though FlyDubai is able to serve many destinations that Emirates can’t serve, due to the difference in aircraft sizes between the airlines.
In 2017, FlyDubai elevated its passenger experience by introducing a flat bed business class, coinciding with the carrier taking delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8s. The airline has continued to fly 29 Boeing 737-800s, featuring a much less exciting onboard experience. For example, in business class there have simply been recliner seats, with a bit more legroom than you might find on a flight within the United States.
Fortunately that’s starting to change. By the end of 2024, FlyDubai intends to reconfigure a majority of its Boeing 737-800s with the same interiors you’ll find on the Boeing 737 MAX 8s.
This project is already well underway. The airline started (quietly) reconfiguring aircraft as of January 2024, and eight aircraft already have the new cabins. Most of the remaining aircraft should get the cabins before the end of the year.
This means that these planes will feature a staggered flat bed product in business class. On top of that, they’ll feature updated seats with new inflight entertainment in economy. Suffice it to say that this is a huge upgrade to the passenger experience.
It’s worth noting that while FlyDubai was supposed to introduce a new business class suite, that hasn’t materialized. It’s my understanding that this project is delayed, and the timeline remains to be seen.
FlyDubai increasing regional business class legroom
In 2021, FlyDubai introduced yet another new business class product, intended primarily for regional flights (as you can tell, FlyDubai isn’t huge on product consistency!). The airline selected the HEACO Eclipse seat, which is a recliner product where the pairs of seats are staggered, so that’s not something you’ll find on many airlines.
As it turns out, the airline is planning a change to this product. Specifically, seat pitch in business class will increase by 8″, from 45″ to 53″. That’s some pretty generous seat pitch, and this is a great change for passengers. It should make it a lot easier for the person in the window seat to get up without the person in the aisle having to move.
The plan is for 737 MAX 8s with these cabins to be reconfigured after the summer, with the project being complete by the end of the year. Only a small portion of FlyDubai’s fleet have these seats.
Bottom line
FlyDubai has announced some very nice changes to its business class product. The carrier’s Boeing 737-800s are being reconfigured with the same interiors you’ll find on most Boeing 737 MAX 8s, including updated seats and entertainment in economy, and flat beds in business class. On top of that, regional Boeing 737 MAX 8s are being reconfigured to add more legroom in business class.
What do you make of FlyDubai’s passenger experience improvements?
