For the first time in two decades, British Airways has refreshed its uniform, and in following tradition, had selected British designer of Saville Row fame – Ozwald Boateng to shape the new look for the 30,000 front line crew who are customer facing. The collection was shaped by Boateng shadowing various crew members from engineering…
Read MoreBritish Airways new safety video is a step in the right direction
British Airways has today premiered its new onboard safety video replacing the somewhat tired comedy-led video from quite a few years ago. It stars the airline’s colleagues, Britons going about their daily activities and some familiar faces, showcasing everything that makes Britain unique and truly original. It’s a perfect addition to the brand positioning, showcasing…
Read MoreBritish Airways to retrofit new Club Suites into 787-8’s
British Airways announced that its 787-8 Dreamliners are the latest in the line to get some much needed love in regards to their business class product. While the majority of the fleet has already been updated, there’s still a few aircraft left with the original Yin-yang suites from the 2000’s, including the 787-8’s, 787-9’s and…
Read MoreBritish Airways and American Airlines reveal new JFK Terminal 8 offering
American Airlines and British Airways have now announced greater detail surrounding their plans to co-locate operations at JFK’s Terminal 8 from December this year. Together the two airlines co-location should offer a more seamless customer experience while also supporting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s ambitious plan to transform JFK into a leading…
Read MoreBritish Airways brings its sustainability programme to life with new Livery
British Airways has just launched ‘BA Better World’, its new sustainability programme. While many airlines have already got active sustainability programmes, the airline said this marked a further commitment to put sustainability at the heart of its business. It has ambitions from reducing emissions and waste and positively contributing to the communities it serves, to creating a great place for people to…
Read MoreBritish Airways continues roll out of new Club Suite and enhanced First Class across older 777 fleet
British Airways is continuing with the roll out of its newest business class seat, the ‘Club Suite’, as it continues to retrofit the seat across its Boeing 777 fleet, with the speedy roll out expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The airline has already retrofitted a handful of its Boeing 777 aircraft…
Read MoreBritish Airways swaps spas for sleep pods, but was it the right decision?
British Airways recently announced the retirement of its Elemis spas, one of the crowning unique features of their Heathrow lounges. Taking their place and replacing the older business centres – in a bid to offer something to passengers – is the new ’Forty Winks’ nap lounge, featuring power nap sleep pods. The new pods are…
Read MoreThe Flygge Series: British Airways sells off onboard service items
Pass us the salt, please. It might not be the first airline globally to go down this route, however, for the first time in its history, British Airways has decided to unlock the doors to its warehouse this Christmas to give customers and aviation fans the unique opportunity to get their hands on items from…
Read MoreBritish Airways learns from 2020 and launches hybrid onboard economy food service by British Chef Tom Kerridge and Tourvest
British Airways has today announced that it will be partnering with celebrated, British Michelin-starred chef, Tom Kerridge, who has designed a number of gourmet food items, which include signature pies and sandwiches, to pre-purchase for the airline’s Euro Traveller (short haul economy) customers. “The move marks a renewed focus on the short haul customer…
Read MoreBritish Airways adds doors to First, but is it enough?
British Airways’ recent upgrade to its Club World with the new Club World Suite has given the carrier a bit of a conundrum. As the airline has started the retrofit of its fleet with the new Business Class product, it’s left the First Class cabin, even the latest incarnation offering very little difference on paper.…
Read MoreBritish Airways bids a fond farewell to the Queen of the Skies
Friday July 17, 2020 saw another casualty due to the Coronavirus. British Airways announced that its fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft, also known as ‘The Queen of the Skies’, are likely to have flown their last scheduled commercial service. While that might not mean ‘never-ever’, unless there is an unprecedented swing back to normality the…
Read MoreAbout face! Why British Airways might need to accelerate its Business Class retrofit
There’s quite a lot of commentary on Covid-19 right now, and the research is constantly evolving. There’s already some innovative designs on the drawing board for helping with the perception of social distancing, including Factorydesign’s Isolation Kit and Aviointeriors’ Janus seat concept. While Factorydesign’s concept actually is quite smart and has a post Covid-19 application,…
Read MoreFrom cushions to cocktails, British Airways adds yet more, smaller customer improvements
This week saw British Airways launch new products for those in the front and the back of the plane. For those in then pointy end, flying from San Francisco and Newark can now enjoy made-to-order cocktails, in just 45 seconds thanks to an automated cocktail maker. Now, while BA doesn’t offer Bartenders in the same…
Read MoreBritish Airways announces new Heathrow lounges and global concierge team
British Airways just celebrated its centenary year and as part of its new year’s resolutions (Happy New Year everyone!) the carrier has hinted at some much needed upgrades to its Heathrow lounge complexes. 2019 saw the carrier bring a host of new lounge designs to its network including San Francisco, Geneva, New York and Milan.…
Read MoreBritish Airways launches fantastic partnership with another British Icon, the Aston Martin
This could be the coolest thing to grace our desk all year. Two things we love. Concorde, and Aston Martin. In British Airways’ centenary year and on the anniversary of Concorde’s final flight, the carrier announced a partnership with Aston Martin, cumulating in a limited-edition sports car that honours the supersonic aircraft. The luxury British car manufacturer…
Read MoreBritish Airways opens new lounge in Geneva
British Airways has just unveiled the latest in its lounge developments, re-opening the newly refurbished lounge in Geneva as part of its huge ongoing investment in the customer experience which includes other new lounges in Rome, San Francisco, Johannesburg and New York’s JFK. The lounge follows a new design concept for the airline, which debuted…
Read MoreBritish Airways opens new lounge in Johannesburg
British Airways has been busy on the ground recently, and Johannesburg, South Africa was the latest destination to receive a lounge refurbishment. The space, based in O.R. Tambo International Airport has undergone significant refurbishment with the new and improved space being converted into one large lounge with a dedicated boutique dining area for First customers. The…
Read MoreBritish Airways goes on the charm offensive with extended Executive Club memberships and enhanced temporary catering
British Airways is having a tough time at the moment, like many airlines around the world, however the narrative of late has been surrounding job cuts, legal cases and because it has lagged behind other carriers in some of its communications, some rather frustrated customers who feel the airline has been utilising the pandemic as…
Read MoreBritish Airways revamps Milan Linate lounge, but without the modern design palette of newer lounges
After three months of renovation, the new British Airways Linate lounge has opened its doors to British Airways and Oneworld passengers. While the lounge features a new look reception where customers will receive a warm welcome, it doesn’t reflect the ultra-modernist design of the newer lounges in Rome, Aberdeen or JFK. Instead paisley designs, more warmer tones…
Read MoreIberia seeks to up the ante with new A350 interiors
Iberia is the first airline to take delivery of the new A350 cabins that feature ever-so-slightly wider cabins and new technologies that make the aircraft lighter and more advanced (such as greater flap settings and faster retracting landing gear), even though they look identical on the outside. However, on the inside, Iberia has opted to…
Read MoreBritish Airways launches new World Traveller Plus amenities
While all eyes are currently on British Airways’s new A350-1000 aircraft, which will be the next big ‘thing’ for the IAG carrier, BA has also rolled out the next phase of its investment in its ‘World Traveller Plus’ premium economy product, with a range of new amenities for customers. Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of…
Read MoreBritish Airways’ new 787-10 cabins, which includes the existing 787-9 First product and new Club Suite, raises a question
British Airways this week announced that it will take delivery of its first of 12 brand new 787-10 Dreamliner in January 2020, with its first route being Atlanta in February next year. It will be quickly followed by a further five Dreamliners in the same year. The four-class aircraft will feature the same exclusive eight…
Read MoreBritish Airways opens new lounge in San Fransisco with First dining concept
British Airways is making strides in bringing its new lounge concept to life across the globe. This week saw the carrier unveil its latest new lounge in San Francisco, the third lounge Stateside to benefit from the airline’s investment plan for its customers. The new contemporary lounge replaces the existing space, and is spread across…
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…
Read MoreEmirates refreshes livery design with updated 3D paint effect
The update to a livery for an airline with a large fleet is a costly, and arduous undertaking. A dramatic shift in livery and brand can create inconsistency for years while a fleet is repainted, and too subtle a shift can be seen as folly. But sometimes the arrival of a new sub-fleet can bring…
Read MoreInnovation is great, but it needs to have purpose. Don’t forget your passengers. Introducing Virgin’s ‘Booth’.
Virgin Atlantic has just revealed its latest social space found on the final five A350’s that will be delivered for the carrier. Instead of ‘The Loft’ – the social space found on its first wave of A350’s – the last few Airbus aircraft to be delivered have been configured for the carrier’s leisure routes. This…
Read MoreBritish Airways receives its first A350. But is it all it’s cracked up to be?
Today saw the official arrival of the British Airways A350. The aircraft which was meant to arrive on Friday was delayed due to the air traffic control and weather issues at Heathrow. However, today saw no sign of either of those. Under perfectly blue skies, British Airways wheeled out the new aircraft which in reality arrived…
Read MoreBritish Airways Upgrades First Class With New Amenities And Dining
While British Airways has invested heavily in to its Club World, including new bedding and dining, its very top cabin class was left at the wayside, meaning that in some respects, the Club World product out-delivered the carrier’s flagship product. However, all that is apparently set to change as British Airways’ First cabin undergoes a…
Read MoreBritish Airways Special Liveries Continue With Our Personal Favourite
British Airways today welcomed the arrival of the third in its series of four heritage liveries – a Boeing 747 painted in the iconic Landor design, which will be recognisable for many including myself as it flew on British Airways aircraft between 1984-1997. In fact this livery graced the fleet as I used to watch…
Read MoreBritish Airways To Introduce Wave Of New Lounges, Headlined By New Club Lounge In JFK
Joining British Airways’ recently completely renovated First lounge in New York’s JFK Terminal 7, the airline has just opened its doors to its new Business Class lounge. No longer called a Galleries Lounge, the new Club Lounge features the airline’s latest ground services design palette (following Rome and Aberdeen). It now completes a £52 million investment,…
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