We’ve heard about Boeing’s plans for some of its future planes, and this time we’re not talking about what’s headed to the 787. The new “Sky Interior” has been kicking around for sometime now, and recently the first plane was delivered with the upgraded interior. If you aren’t able to fly aboard this revamped 737 from FlyDubai anytime soon, here’s what you can expect from the new interior:

First and foremost, you can bring a lot more junk on board with you, as long as the gate agent doesn’t enforce all those silly size regulations—we know what we can jam in the overhead bins thank you very much. The bins on these planes will be expanded, but yet there will still be plenty of headroom for those who need it. They do that thing where they push up into the ceiling like some of Boeing’s wide body airplanes. ]]> kjb 2010-11-04T08:36:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/10/11/84418/119

We were pretty eager to learn about FlyDubai and their low-fare options to and from Dubai last summer, but since then there hasn’t been too much news from the low cost carrier. There have been some new routes and plans for the future, but now the big news has to do with the airline not being a big fan of travelers with disabilities.

An American flyer was stopped from taking to the skies above Dubai last week, for the sole reason he was blind. The passenger was planning to head off to Amman, but the airline said they wouldn’t be able to take him there because he was blind and flying alone. Despite pleading his case, this guy was out of luck, as apparently the policy is that blind travelers can’t fly if they aren’t utilizing the buddy system. ]]> kjb 2010-10-11T09:08:39-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/3/84522/72663

While we're not really so sure that fading Dubai needs another airline flying in, LCC FlyDubai has gone ahead and launched itself anyway. A few months back the new government-owned airline was promising a June 1 start, and they've surprisingly delivered right on time with flights to Beirut and Amman.

Special offers on the FlyDubai website at the moment include Dubai to Alexandria flights for 350 AED ($95) and Dubai to Damascus for a bit less than that even. And while the website is pleasant enough, we're not sure about the company slogan we found there: "How will you flydubai?" Yes, how will we? Isn't the answer to that an anticlimactic "on flydubai?"

FlyDubai is just two planes-strong at the moment, but they've got grand plans. With 52 more planes on order, it'll be interesting to see which additional destinations they pick up along the way—assuming they actually create a market for themselves. They're talking about "India and beyond", which apparently includes eastern Europe and northern Africa, and boy, what we'd give to see these materialize. Our next trip around Eastern Europe could include a weekend in Dubai; what a nice dream.

Related Stories:
· FlyDubai [Official Site]
· Dubai's First Low Cost Carrier Lands in Amman [Zawya]
· FlyDubai Is Finally Ready To Go Starting June 1 [Jaunted]

[Photo: Drewski2112] ]]> amandak 2009-06-03T09:15:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/29/10226/6134

Mountain men, rejoice! Freshly announced from Boeing is a new, taller 737 cabin design which will free up more headroom and actually allow passengers of average heights to stand up in their seats and stretch. Gone are the days of contorting yourself while waiting to grab your carry-ons and disembark.

To reconfigure the cabin of the workhorse 737, Boeing looked at the spaciousness of the upcoming 787 Dreamliners (set to roll out in Seattle within a week) and the pivoting overhead bins of 777s of 15 years ago. The result, the "737 Sky Interior," features these tucked-away bins to relieve the claustrophobia of the past while borrowing a Virgin America's touch of mood lighting to highlight the lofty aisle.

So where will the more statuesque folk feel more comfortable flying in the future? Boeing has already sold a bunch of these 737s, which also include fuel-conserving engine upgrades, to big and small airline names alike: Continental Airlines, FlyDubai, GOL of Brazil, Lion Air Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle and TUIfly. Just don't go wearing your 10-gallon hat on board quite yet; sadly these big babies won't be hitting the tarmac until next year.

Related Stories:
· Spiffed up 737 will let passengers stand tall at their seats [Seattle Times]
· Boeing Unveils Performance, Comfort Changes to Next-Generation 737s [Bername]
· Boeing Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Seattle Times]]]> JetSetCD 2009-04-29T11:26:46-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/4/8/6453/15431

Even though things are no longer on the up and up in Dubai, officials are finally moving forward with the low cost carrier FlyDubai. Apparently, they feel there’s still a little bit of interest in visiting the Middle Eastern hot spot. After what seems like forever, the airline is set to debut its brand new Boeing 737-800s starting this June from Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport. Just remember to keep your hands to yourself during the boarding process. ]]> kjb 2009-04-08T09:26:34-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/23/71946/2151

When we last left FlyDubai, they were planning a launch during the first half of 2009, when the global economic situation was slightly better off than it is today. Well, the airline hasn’t received its order of 737s from Boeing, but they are still holding onto a 2009 launch date despite what others have to say about it.]]> kjb 2009-02-23T11:19:07-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/6/153656/655

The head of start-up Flydubai says that his low cost carrier will still launch in the first half of 2009--even though delivery of its new planes will be delayed by the just-ended Boeing strike. The extra wait for the first of the 50 new 737s on order direct from the manufacturer could be as short as two weeks, says the airline, but really, who knows how long it might actually take.

Flydubai is starting small with only five aircraft scheduled in the first year, serving destinations within four hours of the United Arab Emirates. That puts India, Pakistan, Eastern Europe and parts of Africa within range, and while the carrier says 70 destinations are possible by 2014, that would require, well, lots more planes being delivered on time.

In the meantime, maybe now's a good time to lock in some low jet fuel prices?

Related Stories:
· Dubai LCC in Talks with Boeing [Arabian Business]
· New Airlines: Flydubai to Be "Efficient" and "No Frills" [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-11-06T15:45:08-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/