Meet TheDesignAir Team

Here at thedesignair.net, we have almost been running for 6 years and produced in excess of 1,000 stories. We are thrilled that the website has grown so quickly, with such a great following. As the site grows, so do our partnerships, and we have worked hard to develop relationships with some of the best talent around the world.

Our judges come from a variety of backgrounds giving them the best cross-section for judging airlines from a variety of touch-points.

Jonny Clark
Founder thedesignair.net
Jonny is the founder of thedesignair.net. With over 15 years experience in the aviation sector, and having worked with over 50 airline brands in his career, Jonny has amassed a wealth of knowledge in airline brand strategy. He helped some of the largest airlines in the world develop and strengthen their brand and now works as both a design consultant and previously a commercial pilot in the field. He also is a travel and industry writer, and prefers to be exploring the world rather than watching it go by on TV.

Enrique Perrella
Aviation Editor, Business Traveler USA
Enrique has worked as a writer in the aviation industry for over 6 years, working originally with Airliners Magazine and now heading up as Director of Air Transport News’ Latin American Branch: AeroNoticias. He also founded the successful website SVZM. He has been on more flights than he has had hot dinners, and has been passionate about flying since an early age, already holding a commercial pilots licence. Enrique is respected by the aviation industry around the world and has written reports for most of the international airlines in the world.

Marisa Garcia
Founder and Editor of FlightChic
Marisa Garcia has worked directly in the design and manufacturing of aircraft interiors and safety equipment for many of the world’s leading airlines. She now applies that hands-on experience to her reporting on product innovations, certification requirements, new programs and trends for her website FlightChic, as well as writing for a variety of international publications.

Mike Crump
Managing Director, Honour Consulting
Mike started his career at British Airways in 1991, where he pioneered the design of industry leading flatbed innovations in First Class and Business Class. He became Head of Design responsible for all the design and branding across the airline. He left in 2006 to become a partner of Honour Branding – a Brand Experience consultancy. Mike now leads the aviation design and innovation consultancy offshoot – Honour Consulting.  Mike consults with many airlines but his most notable project is the design management of the ‘Remarkable’ onboard product and experience for Etihad’s A380 and B787 aircraft.

David Kondo
Board of Directors, APEX
Customer experience architect and transformative change leader with global outlook and experience with over 10 years experience of delivering large scale innovative projects to improve customer experience and business outcomes alike. Has worked with airlines such as Austrian, Finnair, Jetstar, Qatar and Virgin Australia shaping their passenger experiences.

Peter Tennent
Director, Factorydesign
A graduate of Central School of Art, London, Peter worked as a product design consultant before moving to Pentagram providing design project management and client liaison. He joined Factorydesign as an Owner and Director to deal with customer relations, project management and the commercial aspects of the company. With Factorydesign’s work almost entirely in the aviation sector, Peter provides design and programme management, design strategy and marketing issues.

David Fernandez
Frequent Traveller & TheDesignAir team member
Social media manger and marketing executive, David Fernandez is one of our TheDesignAir team members, covering our trips from a social media perspective. His background in travelling with TheDesignAir on various trips gives him an unparalleled view on what makes an excellent global Design Airline.

Matt Cleary
Industrial Designer and Co-founder of design studio, ACLA
Matt Cleary is an industrial designer and founder of ACLA, a transportation design consultancy based in Los Angeles. Over the past 6 years Matt has specialized in the design of premium aircraft seating seating, primarily business class seats. Matt started his design career in aviation at AIM Altitude as a junior industrial designer. He then went on to work at Zodiac Aerospace as part of Advanced Concepts Team in California.  Matt was a lead designer for the Lifestyle Cabin, which was awarded a RedDot Design award, as well a Crystal Cabin Award. His most recent project to launch was the Hainan Airlines B787-9 Business Class.

Michael Keating
Co-CEO of Ink, the world’s leading inflight media specialist.
From eight international offices, his Company produces inflight magazines for more than 26 airlines, including American Airlines, United Airlines, easyJet, Etihad, Norwegian, Germanwings, Qatar Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Silkair. Over the past twenty four years, Michael has launched 50+ inflight publications. Ink has also built a tech platform that delivers targeted media to passengers across several digital channels. Ink also produces bespoke video and digital content for the travel sector.