A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Boeing BBJ, BBJ2, BBJ3, BBJ Max, BBJ747, BBJ757, BBJ767, BBJ777, BBJ787

Curt Epstein

Boeing Business Jets has introduced a new streamlined pre-designed cabin layout option for its BBJ737-7 that it said will simplify the purchase and completion process for customers.
Starting in 2026, the airframer will offer its BBJ Select process as an alternative to its traditional procedure of delivering a green airframe to a third-party completions specialist that is contracted to the buyer under a separate agreement.
Instead, through a partnership with its exclusive BBJ Select completions partners Aloft AeroArchitects and Greenpoint Technologies, Boeing Business Jets will offer modular pre-designed cabin layouts in a choice of three Select color palettes at a single all-in price, under a single contract with Boeing, which will then deliver a completely outfitted aircraft.
“For customers who may not have the time or desire to create a fully bespoke interior, BBJ Select offers pre-designed options to outfit their cabin, which allows us to offer the jet at a very attractive, fixed price,” explained Boeing Business Jets president Joe Benson.
The front crew rest areas and the aft private bedroom/bathroom—a shower will be standard on every BBJ Select—configurations will remain set. But customers can choose from a wide range of module configurations, leading to 144 possible combinations in the remaining three zones in between. This middle space equals the entire length of a traditional ultra-long-range business jet cabin while offering 50 percent more area, Boeing said.
“Between all of the layout options, the three-color palettes, and additional material choices embedded within each color palette, it’s very likely we’ll never build two identical BBJ Select aircraft," said Drew Gough, the manufacturer’s head of sales for the Americas. “That’s okay because we’ve designed the interior IT backbone to accept this modularity, so we can swap cabin modules in and out during the cabin configuration process relatively simply on our end.”
For aircraft requiring additional sleep capacity, one of the new module designs—taken from the company’s commercial side—will include six business class pods with doors and fully convertible lie-flat seats, which can boost the configuration to 16 sleep positions. Another module option is the partial-width private room which can be used as a second bedroom, private lounge, or office while still allowing room for a passageway to the aft of the aircraft.
In addition to eliminating one-time engineering costs and other expenses related to the design and production of a clean sheet interior, the Select process will save time on the delivery of the aircraft by eliminating a step in the completions process.
Aloft has installed the auxiliary fuel tanks on every BBJ737 since the launch of the aircraft, and instead of the aircraft first going to the company’s Georgetown, Delaware facility for this process and then on to another completions center, the work can be done concurrently with the cabin interior installation with monuments supplied in part by Greenpoint.
Over its 27-year history, Boeing Business Jets has delivered more than 250 aircraft, including more than 160 in the 737 family.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Boeing Business Jets Intros Modular Cabin Completion Program for 737-7

Program promises to streamline completions and reduce costs

At NBAA-BACE on Monday in Las Vegas, Boeing Business Jets introduced a new streamlined pre-designed cabin layout option for its BBJ 737-7.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Jessica Reed

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Company's latest Business Aviation Market Brief showed flight operations rising 2.4% year over year

Global Jet Capital: Bizav Market Stable in 4Q2024

Chad Trautvetter

Aircraft wing assembly is coming together in anticipation of first flight next year

First Flight-test HondaJet Echelon Begins To Take Shape

Kerry Lynch

Company is offering $3 million retrofit kit to bring Global 7500 in line with the 8000

Bombardier Finalizing Global 8000 Flight-test Campaign

Charles Alcock

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Helicopter deliveries and orders were among the highlights of aerospace group's 2024 results 

Airbus Pushes For Increased Airliner Deliveries in 2025

Airplane billings soar 14.3%, helicopters climb 7.6%

Industry Billings Top $31B as Bizjet Shipments Increase

While market grew last year and is expected again this year, business aircraft deliveries will flatten out long-term

Teal Group Sees Double-digit Bizav Market Growth in 2025

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

NBAA-BACE 2023

In this article

Boeing BBJ Series

Boeing

More In Aircraft

Global Jet Capital: Bizav Market Stable in 4Q2024

Company's latest Business Aviation Market Brief showed flight operations rising 2.4% year over year

First Flight-test HondaJet Echelon Begins To Take Shape

Aircraft wing assembly is coming together in anticipation of first flight next year

Bombardier Finalizing Global 8000 Flight-test Campaign

Company is offering $3 million retrofit kit to bring Global 7500 in line with the 8000

Airbus Pushes For Increased Airliner Deliveries in 2025

Helicopter deliveries and orders were among the highlights of aerospace group's 2024 results

Industry Billings Top $31B as Bizjet Shipments Increase

Airplane billings soar 14.3%, helicopters climb 7.6%

Teal Group Sees Double-digit Bizav Market Growth in 2025

While market grew last year and is expected again this year, business aircraft deliveries will flatten out long-term

EBAA Releases EBACE Conference Details for Geneva Show

Three stages will include live discussions about aircraft operations, innovation, and business aviation news

Seaplane Industry Sets Course for Sustainable Revival

There’s no shortage of a need for aircraft that can take off and land on water, supporters say

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN