A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

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James Wynbrandt

Flydubai is displaying one of its Boeing 737 Max 8s, and in celebration of the UAE’s 50th anniversary has&nbsp;introduced&nbsp;a new design feature on its fleet livery.
“As travel begins to open up and the world begins to connect once again, it gives those of us in the aviation industry an opportunity to be optimistic, and what better place to share this sentiment than with key stakeholders at the Dubai Airshow,” said Flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith.
The Max 8 on display is one of 18 in the Flydubai fleet, which includes three 737 Max 9s&nbsp;and 34 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800s in its single-type fleet of 55 Boeing narrowbodies.
Dubai Airshow attendees can step aboard the Max for a taste of what Ghaith called “an enhanced onboard experience,” with sculpted sidewalls that provide a sense of spaciousness&nbsp;and an LED lighting system that can be adjusted for any ambiance requirements.
The airline’s Max 8s carry&nbsp;156 seats in economy&nbsp;and 10 business class seats. The business class seat, with its high, curved shell, provides extra space and privacy&nbsp;and is fitted with a 15.6-inch HD touchscreen. The seat, when fully reclined, creates a flat bed measuring 78 inches long.
The Recaro economy seat provides a “generous seat pitch,” Flydubai said.
Travelers will also notice a newly designed decal on the aircraft to mark the UAE’s 50th anniversary: a circle inspired by the Flydubai logo incorporating the airline’s two primary colors, orange and blue, that breaks into colorful triangles symbolizing the milestone, with orange for the sun and sand, and blue for the sky and sea.
Flydubai’s routes now reach more than 95 destinations in 50 countries across Africa, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Central and Southeast Europe, the GCC and the Middle East, and India, including more than 70 routes without previous direct air links to Dubai&nbsp;or service from a UAE flag carrier from Dubai.

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