The past two years airlines have had to think a little differently to maintain brand love, generate revenues and shift old stock that have filled warehouses. As such we’ve seen a wave of upcycling across the globe, with inflight trolleys finding their ways into homes from Asia, all the way to Europe, but now all…
Read MoreCathay Pacific is about to see the commercial take-off of its latest arrival, the A321neo. With the pandemic hitting at a pivotal time for the carrier, commercially things have been bittersweet. While passenger numbers have been decimated for 18-months, the regrowth of the airline can now be expedited by the addition of a new narrow-body…
Read MoreCathay Pacific might be impacted by the recent unrest on their doorstep, but that isn’t stopping them enticing their premium passengers with an elevated travel experience. The airline has focussed their attention to enhancing the service, soft products and culinary offerings both in its First and Business Class cabins. These enrichments are designed to “offer…
Read MoreUnlike other media-outlets focussing on the airline industry we make a point to never really comment on short-lived, political or click-bait style news. We focus our approach on the long-lasting customer experience advancements, but Hong Kong has created a unique global environment over the past couple of years, built on political unrest and now the…
Read MorePlaza Premium has continued its expansion in The Americas with two new lounges, open in Toronto’s main International Airport, YYZ. As well as a pre-departures ‘Concept’ lounge, situated in Terminal 1, the pay-for lounge company has created an impressive new Landmark lounge in the departures area of Terminal 3. The Concept lounge offers a convenient…
Read MoreOctober saw the launch of Neutral Digital’s latest VR experience, showcasing Cathay Pacific’s new A350 cabin, including their economy, premium economy and business class cabins. Cathay Pacific and Neutral Digital collaborated to design and implement a VR storyboard that would show the prospective passenger visual and interactive highlights beginning with the livery, and onto the…
Read MoreAir France has just opened an exciting new lounge space dedicated to Business Class travellers and Flying Blue Elite Plus members travelling through the airline’s short and medium-haul Schengen network. It’s no small affair, as this lounge is one of the airline’s largest, with a surface area of no less than 3,000 sq. m. catering to 570 seats…
Read MoreEtihad 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 MoreThe industry has been mooting the possibility of growth in the long-haul single-aisle market across the past couple of years, however 2020’s pandemic has rapidly escalated this conversation. These narrow body ultra-long-haul aircraft are perfectly suited for a subdued travel market across the next few years, with fewer seats and the ability to connect point-to-point…
Read MoreTheDesignAir 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 MoreWhile Cathay Pacific’s latest ethos might have shifted from ‘Life well travelled’ to ‘Move beyond’ it seems that the physical manifestation of the brand hasn’t taken a different tack just yet. The latest offering from the carrier will open tomorrow in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. The re-opening of their existing space in the new airline…
Read MoreVirtual 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 MoreFly 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 MoreBritish 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 MoreOn the 2nd December, just over 2 weeks away, we will see the grand opening of the new Qantas first class lounge in Singapore’s Changi International Airport. The lounge follows a wave of ground and inflight product improvements that are helping positioning the carrier as a true luxury, design-led proposition. In the meantime, select passengers…
Read MoreIt will come as no surprise that Cathay’s ‘The Deck’ lounge, the latest major lounge to undergo a refurbishment at HKIA, features the carrier’s new signature lounge style brought to life by Ilse Crawford’s original concept. Located close to gate 16 in Terminal 1, The Deck, which opens its doors to passengers on 22 March,…
Read MoreThe end of the month will see ANA welcome the addition of a range of new services at Haneda Airport Terminal 2’s international area. The airline has invested in passenger enhancements across the terminal including three new lounges, self-service baggage drops and enhanced security check procedures. While we won’t be seeing these bursting at the…
Read MoreAs the phrase goes, “good things come in small packages.” In 2018, the airline industry carried 4.4billion passengers. It has become an integral part of human life, but it’s also an industry of behemoth players. In fact, in 2018, the top 10 airline groups transported over one third of the entire annual traffic, leaving the…
Read MoreThe flagship lounge for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong International Airport is certainly worth a look if you are ever in Hong Kong. Situated near gate 61 at the far end of the airport, it might not be the first choice for most, however, its relative isolation means its a quiet haven for business class…
Read MoreTheDesignAir is pleased to announce the shortlist for the DesignAir Awards 2018 and just like last year, we’ve opened some of the categories to the public, so you can vote for the winners you feel are most worthy. Now is your chance to pick from our shortlisted categories for Best Design Airline, by region, across…
Read MoreLong-haul Cathay passengers transiting through Hong Kong Airport may find the airline’s latest addition to their Pier Lounge a welcome haven to stretch and relax during their journey. Designed in partnership with The Pure Group, The Sanctuary by Pure Yoga is a 700 square-foot area divided into two zones – The Body Sanctuary, which is…
Read MoreHong Kong Airlines just received its latest A350, and with it, the next evolution of its premium experience, unveiling a newly upgraded Business Class seat. This new seat rivals that of Cathay Pacific and here at TheDesignAir we actually prefer the Super Diamond product compared to Cathay Pacific’s due to its increased space and storage…
Read MoreFragrances aren’t new to airlines, in fact, probably more airlines than you think have found ways to freshen and brand their aircraft through yet another sense. Joining the likes of Cathay Pacific, Delta, Turkish and Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic has launched a signature scent called ‘Air.’ Collaborating with British scent designer and candle chandler Rachel…
Read MoreRockwell Collins used AIX as an opportunity to launch its brand new narrow body business class seat type dubbed ‘Air Rest.’ The seat is actually already flying, and can be found exclusively on Oman Air’s 737 MAX aircraft. Initial deliveries for a total of 30 aircraft recently began and will continue through 2022. This seat, which…
Read MoreFlight: KA361 Aircraft Type: A330-300 Class: Business Class Route: DPS-HKG Date: November 2017 http://www.cathapacific.com We are big fans of Cathay Pacific at TheDesignAir, that’s no real secret. We love the carriers ground product, with wealth of stylish lounges and super easy to navigate home base of Hong Kong International Airport, but Cathay Dragon, the now-aligned sister carrier always seemed in…
Read MoreHeathrow has no less than forty-something lounges across the expansive airport, but the offering can vary substantially, so selecting the right lounge can be a bit of a challenge. For those fellow aviation nuts out there though, the airport does offer a range of lounges with excellent views of the runways and apron, making spotting…
Read MoreCathay Pacific may not be known as a distillery per-se, but the airline has rolled out its first beer, specially crafted for pressurised cabins. Named after “Betsy”, Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 which flew passengers around the region in the 1940s and 1950s, Betsy Beer will be first served to First and Business…
Read MoreWhen Changi Terminal 4 opens in just a few days time, Cathay Pacific will proudly take the title for the first scheduled flight from the terminal. The airline is proudly stating that the terminal will offer an innovative and seamless travel experience, in addition to a spectacular and spacious lounge which will be open for their…
Read MoreWhile Norwegian may have recently taken the crown of flying more passengers across the Atlantic to New York area as a non-US carrier – a long-standing honour recently held by British Airways – the legacy carrier has just shown why sometimes its not just about size, but how you do it, that counts. British Airways…
Read MoreWorking with McCann Worldgroup, Cathay Pacific created the “Artmap Project” an innovative birthday gift for over one million Marco Polo members. An ingenious algorithm means that each Marco Polo Club member will receive a bespoke work of contemporary Chinese art via email on their birthday, inspired by their own travels with Cathay Pacific and Cathay…
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