In the second of our studio spotlights, I take an afternoon to sit down with Paul Wylde, one of the industry’s leading design veterans who has worked across a range of exciting and varied projects. So Paul, firstly, can you tell us a little bit about your background? I love telling stories on behalf of…
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American Airlines finally reveals Flagship ‘front row’ Preferred Suites of upcoming airline cabins
The never ending game of cat and mouse between the US3 carriers is playing dividends for the inflight and ground customer experience in the USA. A region that was once a decade behind the rest of the world when it came to cabin interiors, has fast become a hot-bed of creativity and world-standard hard products.…
Read MoreSeven brand-new Business Class seats to fly in 2024
This year turning out to be a pretty exciting year for the passenger experience world. While airlines are recording record profits, they are investing heavily into their new aircraft, looking to try and win over market share. Here’s TheDesignAir’s round up of best business class seats you should fly in 2024. 1. Cathay Pacific 777…
Read MoreTrip Report: China Airlines A350-900 Business Class, March 2024
I was given the opportunity to fly with China Airlines, a few years after I last flew with them, and it was an opportunity to revalidate the reasons why the carrier was awarded Design Airline, Asia 2023 at our awards last year. The airline is often mistaken for a mainland Chinese carrier, which often don’t…
Read MoreCould Caon Design Office and Woolmark have created the future of First Class Suites with Modulo?
Sometimes we see concepts that are so far fetched come across our desks here at TheDesignAir that we know they just simply won’t take flight, but the latest concept that has landed here has certainly piqued our interest. Brought to life by David Caon’s design studio (the very same designer who has his fingerprint all…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines on the road to excellence with new cabins
In a recent event in Malaysia, the country’s flag-carrier revealed new cabins for the airline’s impending A330neo fleet, with the first of these shiny new aircraft scheduled for delivery in Q3 2024. We are thrilled to see the airline really doubling down on its proposition in a bid to win back market share. The A330neo…
Read MoreHot Hotels: Suiran, Kyoto & Shisui, Nara, Japan
There aren’t many hotels that are steeped in history, yet both Suiran and sister property Shisui both share similar traits. With hundreds of years of legacy between them, staying in these unassuming design properties hidden on the outskirts of two of Japan’s oldest and most important cities are destinations unto themselves. Working perfectly as a…
Read MoreCathay reveals more details regarding Aria Suite, hinting now towards Collins Elements product
Today saw Cathay add its new Aria suite product to its website, promoting the new product that will take to the skies later in the year. This is one of the most anticipated seat launches of the year, as Cathay vies for the most lucrative of passengers through the Asia region. While the airline revealed…
Read MoreJetBlue refreshes Mint amenities and menus
In a bid to keep things minty fresh, JetBlue is bringing a new range of NYC brands to the skies once again. As of next week, Mint guests will be supplied a brand new amenity range ‘tucked into a stylish and reusable foldable backpack’ for Transatlantic and a snapping, collectible pouch for domestic Mint, both…
Read MoreBritish Airways set to bring in wave of improvements
This week saw British Airways host an event in London to present a wave of improvements to the passenger experience costing the carrier no less than £7bn over the coming years. Now usually this would be seen as a series of individual stories, but as a collective, the overarching impression is that the airline is…
Read MoreAir India launches new safety video, doubling down on Indian heritage
Air India has had a challenging launch of a new brand in our eyes. How can an airline both represent and value a nation’s pride while also modernising its image to the international stage. While the airline originally launched a new brand and livery that fell flat, the carrier has slowly been building the much…
Read MoreEtihad complete the soft-furnishing circle with glorious new luxury Giorgio Armani amenities
It seems Etihad Airways has finally completed its upgrade to the passenger experience by enriching the offering with a stunning new collection of amenity kits and loungewear created in partnership with renowned Italian design house, Giorgio Armani, the sister brand to Armani/Casa that already features in the airlines bedding and tableware. The new amenity kit…
Read MoreOneworld opens new lounge in Amsterdam… It’s time to play
Tomorrow marks the launch of oneworld’s second branded lounge, and the first in Europe, following quickly after the premier lounge launch in Seoul. The lounge is situated in the footprint of the older British Airways lounge, situated next to a brand new Aspire lounge which will open shortly too. In an emerging trend of managed…
Read MoreDoes Qantas’ latest safety video spell the end of the tourism-based trend?
Last week Qantas launched its latest safety video, replacing the much loved centenary version. Following the virtually commonplace ‘tourism’ based approach to safety videos, the Qantas one doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before. But the full length version at close to 10 minutes doesn’t do much to win over the hearts and minds…
Read MoreMove over Virgin Atlantic, there’s a new type of ‘Clubhouse’ on the scene
January saw the launch of yet another lounge, The Chase Sapphire Lounge in New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) airport. The Chase Sapphire Lounge was also joined last week by a sister lounge in JFK, in partnership with Etihad Airways, both of which are run by The Club, an Airport Dimensions brand. This might sound complicated, but…
Read MoreAir India’s new soft product delights with rich Indian details
Where Air India’s recent rebranding failed to excite with the new master brand, livery and hard product, the recent announcement of enhancements to the soft product launch has filled in gaps to the missed deeper connection to its national heritage. This week has seen the airline reveal new amenity kits, a luxurious and sustainable bedding…
Read MoreFive airline lounge trends we hope to see in 2024
As we emerge into 2024 and airlines continue their post-pandemic growth with record profits seen by many, the race to invest into the passenger experience begins. While cabin programs can take several years to manifest, the quickest and easiest way to win over market share for the lucrative business class segment, is to reimagine the…
Read MoreHot Hotel: Unico 2087, Riviera Maya
On a recent visit to Mexico, I spent a few days in Riviera Maya to recharge and relax. Considering this wasn’t my first visit to Cancun, and there was a relatively new hotel on the block, I took the opportunity to try out Hotel Unico 20 87 Riviera Maya to see what this design-led all-inclusive…
Read MoreTrip Report: Austrian Airlines B777-200 Business Class, November 2023
I’ve been wanting to try Austrian Airlines Business Class for some time now. The airline has been on my radar as a lesser-known carrier of the Lufthansa Group, but after hearing such good things about the airline, it was time to take the plunge on a transatlantic flight I had to take from London to…
Read MoreAir India furthers brand evolution with new uniforms
Air India has continued to evolve its new brand proposition which features new cabins and liveries, with a brand new uniform for the crew, which sits in line with the new brand palette. Created by Indian celebrity couturier, Manish Malhotra, the new uniforms set out to blendrich Indian heritage, contemporary style, elegance, and comfort. We…
Read MoreCongratulations to TheDesignAir Award Winners, 2023
Today we are pleased to announce TheDesignAir’s 11th annual award winners, as we celebrate the very best in aviation design, brand, and passenger experience around the world. Every year we see airlines across the globe continue to advance the passenger experience in the air and on the ground. There has been a new wave of…
Read MoreNew bar concept ‘Intervals’ in Hong Kong by Plaza Premium challenges existing lounge offerings
If you’ve travelled through Hong Kong recently, you might have stumbled across a new bar situated atop of the Sky Bridge connecting HKIA’s satellite terminal. Dubbed ‘Intervals’ It’s Plaza Premium Group’s new bar offering, is set to offer “a remarkable culinary journey,” states the press release. “Passengers passing through Hong Kong can now indulge in…
Read MoreSecond time lucky! Riyadh Air listens, and slightly amends second livery to be on point
A few months ago, I covered the new Riyadh Air livery, and how that in principal it’s one of the most elegant new liveries in the skies, but it the logotype on the fuselage was a little too dominant for an elegant, premium carrier. Well, it seems like they’ve listened, as not only their new…
Read MoreHold my beer… Aerolineas Argentinas shows off challenging new uniform that makes even British Airways look good
Aerolíneas Argentinas has just unveiled a brand new uniform for ground and flight service personnel designed by Benito Fernández and Ricky Sarkany. But the end result has been a little bit of a disaster in our view with ill-fitting suits and colours that seem to exude holiday camp hosts, rather than international glamour. Under the…
Read MoreEtihad gives sneak peek of upgraded new lounge offering in Abu Dhabi’s Terminal A
Etihad Airways has just given a sneak peek of its new flagship premium lounges at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s much awaited “Terminal A”. Etihad inaugurated the new terminal on October 31st with a special one off flight before introducing a full transition to the Terminal which should be complete by the 14th November. Etihad’s impressive new…
Read MoreTrip Report: Iberia A350 ‘Next’ Business Class, October 2023
Iberia has been rolling out its new ‘Next’ cabin across the A350 fleet. The new cabins mean upgrades across all classes, with the most noticeable improvements being in the Business Class cabin. The cabin now features new Recaro seats with doors which offer greater privacy, but do the new cabins elevate the entire passenger experience?…
Read MoreInnovation award 2023 Call for Entries
While TheDesignAir Awards 2023 public vote is due to end on the 8th November, there’s still a chance for design studios, airlines and airports to enter our recently launched Design Innovation award which celebrates innovation in the passenger experience field that enhances the traveller journey. From new seats to game-changing passenger experience products, sustainable service…
Read MoreAegean delivers striking new uniform to (finally) match new brand ethos.
Aegean just completed its Neo-era rebranding by presenting the new uniforms, in collaboration with the renowned Greek brand Zeus+Dione. The new uniforms, which were designed by the creative direction of Marios Schwab, are in perfect harmony with Aegean’s “Neo-era vision” and image, incorporating core design touches that seamlessly connect with the larger passenger experience. As…
Read MoreLOT Polish Airlines to launch impressive new Chicago lounge in 2024
LOT Polish Airlines is continuing its drive towards enhancing the passenger experience. The new LOT Business Lounge at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport will be the first space of its kind outside Europe. It will be opening in the second half of 2024. Much like the new interiors for the aircraft, the lounge’s new interior will be…
Read MoreCould Beond be the next sustainable all-premium long-haul carrier? With interiors like these, there’s hope.
Beond is an interesting proposition. Through the hype and slightly clumsy press launch, there’s a glimmer of something quite adventurous that could actually work once the kinks are ironed out. Connecting via Dubai certainly doesn’t make for a luxurious experience from Europe to the Maldives, but it’s no different to how many already get there.…
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