Boeing’s New Airliner-Sized Private Jets: ‘Flying Hotel Rooms’

Boeing’s New Airliner-Sized Private Jets: ‘Flying Hotel Rooms’

This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

Boeing Business Jets is the American manufacturer’s line of private aircraft, ranging in size from the narrowbody BBJ 737 to the mammoth quad-engine BBJ 747.

These airliner-sized private jets are flying hotel rooms complete with bedrooms, showers, theaters, couches, dining rooms, and flatscreen televisions. The VIP customers who buy a multi-million BBJ also spend a significant amount of money to customize the interior.

But Boeing wants to make this process easier and cheaper for its smallest private jet variant, the BBJ MAX 7. At a recent business aviation convention in Las Vegas, the company announced a new program that lets buyers build the entire cabin from a catalog of 144 pre-designed interior options.

Take a look at some of the BBJ MAX 7’s “Select” designs.

Since its founding in 1996, Boeing’s private arm has sold over 260 business jets to people like John Travolta and the Dutch royal family.

Dutch Royal Family's BBJ 737.

Dutch Royal Family’s BBJ 737. Patrick van Katwijk/Getty via BI

Boeing currently produces the BBJ 737 MAX, the BBJ 787, and the BBJ 777X.

The latest variant, the BBJ MAX 7, is a derivative of its soon-to-be-certified commercial sister.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700. AaronP:Bauer Griffin/GC Images/Getty via BI

The 737 MAX 7 has faced certification challenges, but Boeing still expects to certify the jet this year as a replacement for its older generation 737-700, Aviation Week reported.

Once on the market, the new MAX private plane will offer better fuel efficiency than its predecessor and fly further than the in-service BBJ 737 MAXs.

With a list price of about $100 million, the new MAX is the cheapest Boeing business plane.

Boeing's rendering of a BBJ 737-7 MAX private jet.

Boeing’s rendering of a BBJ 737-7 MAX private jet. Boeing via BI

Business Jet Traveler lists the new MAX business plane at around that $100 million price tag.

Owners will get a lot out of the long-range BBJ MAX 7, which can fly up to 15 hours nonstop and connect cities like New York and Dubai or London and Cape Town.

However, the airplane’s new cabin customization option is expected to cheapen the cost further and speed up the delivery of future BBJs.

BBJ Select Earthbound.

BBJ Select Earthbound. Boeing via BI

The vision was unveiled at the National Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas in mid-October and is expected to launch in 2026.

According to Boeing, the project will “eliminate costs for one-time engineering and related work for the installation of a clean sheet cabin design.”

Boeing’s time-saving BBJ Select program detours from the tailor-made interiors typically installed on its VIP business planes.

Boeing BBJ 737 Jet Edge International

Jet Edge International’s BBJ 737, which President Joe Biden rode in 2021. Jet Edge International via BI

Insider toured a VIP 737-700 BBJ in 2022, which is owned by a well-known author and motivational speaker and has its own unique interior.

President Joe Biden hitched a ride on a personally customized BBJ 737 on his way to his inauguration in 2021.

The bespoke one-of-a-kind cabins could take years to plan and build.

Boeing 737 BBJ

Charter operator Silver Air’s BBJ 737, which Tony Robbins owns. Silver Air via BI

BBJ president Joe Benson told reporters at NBACE that each special BBJ cabin customization could go through several versions before being completely built.

But the pre-selected ones, which are only offered on the BBJ MAX 7 for now, will make Boeing’s smallest variant easier to buy.

In partnership with completion centers Aloft AeroArchitects and Greenpoint Technologies, BBJ MAX 7 customers will only sign one contract with Boeing for the cabin.

BBJ Select.

BBJ Select Earthbound. Boeing via BI

Boeing said this would “simplify the purchase experience” as the company would oversee both the design of the interior, as well as the build and delivery of the completed VIP jet.

Owners can then choose how they’d like each zone to look based on existing designs across three themes: Serene, Midnight, and Earthbound.

BBJ Select Midnight bedroom.

BBJ Select Midnight. Boeing via BI

Serene uses beige and cream colors, Midnight uses hues of brown and blue, while Earthbound boasts dark reds, oranges, and gold.

A total of 144 “unique modular combinations” are possible.

BBJ Select Serene.

BBJ Select Serene. Boeing via BI

With 884 square feet to work with, the cabin could include everything from staterooms, VIP lounges, and private offices to family rooms, dining areas, and passenger seating.

The front crew rest area and the aft shower and bedroom will remain set across the fleet, however.

BBJ Select Midnight.

BBJ Select Midnight. Boeing via BI

According to Aviation International News, the center zones can be mixed and matched. The front and back can still have the preferred theme, though.

“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,” Boeing’s head of sales for the Americas Drew Gough said, reported AIN.

These combination options are intended to serve all purposes, including “personal, business, and head-of-state airplane requirements.”

BBJ Select Earthbound.

BBJ Select Earthbound. Boeing via BI

“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,” Benson said in a press release.

While it may not be specifically customized to each client’s exact taste, the designs are definitely luxe.

BBJ Select Serene.

BBJ Select Serene. Boeing via BI

Based on renderings, the seating is sleek and modern, and the layout looks spacious with high-class amenities — particularly the ensuite shower.

There’s also flexibility in that during the configuration process, Boeing can easily swap out modules thanks to the specifically engineered design.

The BBJ Select program is similar to what Airbus offers for its ACJ Two Twenty, the business jet version of its commercial A220.

ACJ TwoTwenty main lounge.

ACJ TwoTwenty main lounge. Adrien Daste/Airbus via BI

Airbus Corporate Jets produces its own line of private planes based on the company’s passenger airliners, including the ACJ Two Twenty, the ACJneo, the ACJ330neo, and the ACJ350.

There are also a handful of converted A340 private jets in existence.

The European planemaker has three “signature ambiances” for its smallest ACJ, including Timeless, Avant-Garde, and Quintessence.

Avant-garde dining room

ACJ Two Twenty Avant-garde dining room. Airbus via BI

There is also a special interior created in partnership with French artist Cyril Kongo, which adds a splash of color to Airbus’ ACJ Two Twenty cabin portfolio.

Similar to Boeing, Airbus has hundreds of pre-designed cabin combinations available for ACJ Two Twenty customers to select from.

ACJ TwoTwenty cabin

ACJ TwoTwenty Timeless lounge. Airbus via BI

Some patterns and textures give off more Earth vibes, while others are more chic and modern, so there’s a range of different personal tastes.

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