Heading over to Abu Dhabi to experience Etihad’s brand new A350 I was able to also experience the carrier’s 787 for the very first time. While the product is now a few years old, it was useful to see how the product was still standing up against the competition and how the two products –…
Read MoreEtihad launches closed-loop recyclable tableware and enhanced soft furnishings
Etihad has been looking to find an ecological solution to its inflight service for some time. Over the past few years the airline has been at the forefront of experimental eco-flights with everything from zero-plastic long-haul journeys to new technologies to rid the world of vapour-trails. However, the latest developments will be a welcome addition…
Read MoreDon’t forget your little VIPs. How Etihad is improving travel for children
It’s easier for designers to build passenger experiences for adults. It’s the core design language that makes up a brand and airline passenger experience. After all, we can all relate to how the design created will affect us. However, designers often forget children, which still make up a noticeable percentage of airline travellers. There are…
Read MoreEtihad introduces ‘Check-In at home’, it may not be new, but it does signal an emerging trend
Etihad has just partnered with DUBZ, powered by dnata, an off-airport solutions provider, making it easier for passengers to check in their bags, pick their seat, even upgrade and collect their boarding pass and luggage tags from their home within Abu Dhabi. A Covid-19 PCR test can also be arranged through the airline’s medical partner, LifeDx.…
Read MoreOpinion: Could Etihad become the Queen of Boutique Carriers post-pandemic?
We’ve been drowning in a sea of short-term hygiene messages across the last year as airlines have rapidly ‘masked up’ in order to win over what little passenger volume there has been. Today’s passengers have been assaulted by marketing imagery of planes being scrubbed within an inch of their life, crew in body suits and…
Read MoreEtihad latest airline to celebrate its home with a new safety video
Etihad Airways is the latest carrier to unveil a new safety video, with no surprises that the carrier has opted to film on location at Louvre Abu Dhabi, to give passengers across the globe, a glimpse of what attractions the capital has to offer. This is an emerging trend, something we’ve already covered a few times,…
Read MoreSpecial Trip Report: Etihad’s New A350 proposition breathes fresh life into the carrier
Etihad has always been a challenger brand in the Middle East, even if it’s not the youngest of the carriers. Often shadowed by its much larger, blingier cousin Emirates, and self-styled luxury carrier Qatar Airways, Etihad has had a bigger hill to climb, either winning market share, or the hearts and wallets of this lucrative…
Read MoreEtihad brings a premium approach to Covid personal kits as part of its hygiene programme
When it comes to personal hygiene kits, Etihad is one of the first airlines to offer a unique, upgraded proposition for its First and Business Class guests, which also includes a snood-style face mask for use throughout their journey and beyond. The soft reusable snood has been treated with MicrobeBARRIER™ fabric treatment, a broad spectrum antimicrobial…
Read MoreEtihad’s new Wellness Ambassadors could be the industry’s next ‘Flying Nanny’
Etihad Airways is the latest airline to announce its wellness strategy to rebuild confidence and increase reassurance. Dubbed ‘Etihad Wellness’, the carrier has outlined its expanded and more comprehensive health and hygiene programme in an accessible customer guide. In a direct response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the programme will be championed by the introduction of specially…
Read MoreExclusive: TheDesignAir interview with Amina Taher on Etihad’s new Sonic Identity
Sensory design within aviation is becoming more commonplace. Brands are no longer just a visual manifestation of a company, as companies across the world embrace all of the senses to create lasting memories. Whether its fragrance, touch or sound, lasting memories are built when all of the senses fire in unison, with sound and scent…
Read MoreFrom boutique carriers to beds, bars and onboard spas, the ME3’s need to evolve the landscape for its premium travellers
2020 has seen the rule book thrown out of the window. Carriers that have adapted quickly will see the largest market share in 2021. While many airlines continue to struggle just to survive day-to-day, some have taken this as an opportunity to level the playing field. While clear regional battles are at play across Asia,…
Read MoreEtihad Completes First Single-Use Plastic-Free Flight To Highlight Industry Challenges
Etihad Airways is now the first airline in the region to have operated a flight without any single-use plastics on board, in a bid to raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution. Flight EY484 departed Abu Dhabi on 21 April, landing in Brisbane on 22 April, also known as Earth Day. H.H. Sheikh Theyab…
Read MoreEtihad Launches ‘Choose Well’ Campaign Highlighting New Product Offering
Etihad Airways, who is turning 15 this year, has just launched a new ‘Choose Well’ campaign reflecting the airline’s new customer proposition. The airline references the multiple choices we face when we travel, and how to customise the journey on their own terms. It is also reaffirms that Etihad’s customers, partners, guests and employees…
Read MoreEtihad Airways Launches New Amenity Partner, And We Are In Love
Etihad Airways has been realigning itself to try and shake off a rather expensive partnership with the likes of Air Berlin and Alitalia recently, so a new partnership to bolster the passenger experience, and with Acqua Di Parma no less, is most certainly welcome. Unlike other carriers, who have different partners depending on the class…
Read MoreEmirates trying to fix its two-product proposition for premium passengers
Fly better. That’s Emirates‘ marketing slogan. It’s the same marketing campaign that has featured the likes of Jennifer Anniston, onboard bars, showers, all-aisle access and swathes of space. The problem is, Emirates has – since the A380 entered its fleet – offered two products, a 777 and A380 business class product that couldn’t be more…
Read MoreUncovering Etihad’s Latest Passenger Experience Developments (Pt II)
Recently, Etihad Airways completed a single-use plastic-free flight from Abu Dhabi to Brisbane to highlight the issues the industry faces when it comes to sustainability. But instead of this being a one-off stunt, it has actually turned into a learning curve with many of the disciplines being rolled out across the airline, a carrier fast becoming one…
Read MoreUncovering Etihad’s Latest Passenger Experience Developments
Recently, Etihad Airways completed a single-use plastic-free flight from Abu Dhabi to Brisbane to highlight the issues the industry faces when it comes to sustainability. But instead of this being a one-off stunt, it has actually turned into a learning curve with many of the disciplines being rolled out across the airline, a carrier fast…
Read MoreEtihad Launches Re-usable Loungewear Collection For First Class Guests
This week, Etihad Airways launched its new Emirati designed loungewear collection available to First Class and The Residence guests. Revealed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the stylish new line by Emirati brand A Friend of Mine by Xpoze was received by a star-studded ‘Night at the Museum’ event. The night was jointly hosted by the airline and influential…
Read MoreThe need for space. Will airlines invest in social spaces once again?
Even non-aviation enthusiasts may have noticed that the skies look a little different today. As we head into another year since the pandemic first decimated commercial aviation, the large behemoth A380s and Queens of the skies – the Boeing 747 – are a rare sight at airports nowadays. Replaced by more economic and smaller long-haul…
Read MoreBehind The Scenes: Etihad’s New Economy Class Service
As we announced a few weeks ago, Etihad has revamped its economy service to become more sustainable while offering passengers larger main meals and a restaurant-style service. On first impressions, offering two waves of dining would appear more complicated for the cabin crew, but as we found out by spending a few hours behind the scenes…
Read MoreWellness areas, new First Class… Qantas reveals details of its A350 Project Sunrise Aircraft
Today saw the official approval of Qantas’ long-awaited Project Sunrise, something that was postponed a few years due to COVID. With the announcement that the airline will order 12 A350-1000 aircraft capable of flying from Sydney direct to London and New York, which will see the longest and furthest flights in the world. But that…
Read MoreEtihad Range Of Amenities For Purchase Add Increased Passenger Comfort
In addition to its complimentary inflight service and hospitality offering, Etihad Airways has introduced a selection of inflight products aimed at enhancing the travel experience and providing more choice for its guests in Economy Class. The items are available for purchase on a selected number of routes to and from Abu Dhabi. The new selection…
Read MoreEtihad Launches Fashion Inspired Promotional Video
Just in time for New York Fashion Week, Etihad Airways has launched a fashion inspired promptional video starring 17 couture designs from renowned British designer Julien Macdonald. Etihad has also partnered with BMW, IWC Schaffhausen and IMG Models to bring the spectacle together. Etihad draws comparisons between the preparation behind fashion shows and preparing an…
Read MoreStepping through the door. What Virgin Australia’s new invitation-only ‘Beyond’ lounge has to offer
The new incarnation of Virgin Australia has continued its previous tradition of offering a very special lounge to its most prestigious guests. Today saw the curtain lift on the airline’s long-awaited invitation-only private ‘Beyond Lounges’ in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, reserved for corporate partners, some high-status Velocity Frequent Flyer members and key opinion leaders throughout…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Awards 2019 voting has now closed!
TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the shortlist for the DesignAir Awards 2019 and just like last couple of years, we’ve opened some of the categories to the public. The voting is now closed! Now is your chance to pick from our shortlisted categories for Best Design Airline, by region, across the globe. All it takes…
Read MorePaperClip Design’s ‘Peacock’ concept could ruffle some feathers
with the rise of the all-aisle business class product, and now with doors, the benefits of First Class as a separate cabin class become more questionable. True exclusivity, privacy, space and dining are some of the only real benefits now, which doesn’t often equate to the price tag they come with. What if the needs of passengers looking for exclusivity, space or privacy could benefit from a space onboard that suits their needs, without the label of it being First Class? That’s what Paperclip Design in Hong Kong have considered in their latest concept, hot off the heels from their Butterfly seat design.
Read MoreVirgin Australia receives new ‘My Lounge’ in Brisbane
No1 Lounges seems to be getting deeper and deeper in to bed with airlines across the world, and has just launched its latest airport lounge partnership with Virgin Australia at Brisbane Airport’s International Terminal. This follows the opening of The House at Sydney and Melbourne in 2018 and their pre-existing partnership with Etihad. The new lounge…
Read MoreJetBlue shows it means business with its new Transatlantic Mint product
JetBlue has been long touting its desire to compete on the Transatlantic market. With the recent exit of Norwegian’s long haul operations, there’s certainly a slot to be filled in competitively priced disrupters, and JetBlue has jumped at the opportunity. However, it certainly means business, trying to take a slice of the highly lucrative Transatlantic…
Read MoreCould VR be a powerful tool both for design and communication post Covid-19? PriestmanGoode think so
Virtual reality has been around for a while, its use however within the aviation sector is increasing. Many design studios now have adopted this way of modelling cabin interiors and seat designs to expedite the creative process and visualise the end product with a high quality interactive render. There is clear benefit on both sides…
Read MoreTheDesignAir’s emerging trends for 2022
While 2022 is already underway, it seems that airlines are starting to emerge from hibernation, and with it, bringing a wave of passenger experience improvements from new cabin classes to new amenities. But what are the emerging trends we expect to see through 2022? Premium Economy wars As well as seeing new premium economy products…
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