Taiwanese carrier China Airlines has just received its first A321neo passenger aircraft which heralds a new era in the airline’s narrow-body fleet. A total of 25 of these advanced Airbus aircraft will enter the fleet over the coming years, which will operate short-haul routes including Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Cross-strait. The aircraft itself features…
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 MoreChina Airlines Reopens Lounge In Taipei’s Taoyuan Terminal 2
China Airlines has a fairly phenomenal lounge in Terminal 1 of Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport. Designed by Ray Chen back in 2014, the larger of the three lounges is a beautiful designer heaven, featuring both a business class and VIP section that was inspired by the Song Dynasty with a conceptual use of a “southern china…
Read MoreStarlux Airlines is certainly drawing some attention, but how will it compete in an already crowded Asian market?
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s latest startup is starting to turn heads. Originally a start-up that – like most – had a questionable future, seems to be full-steam ahead with a recent uniform and A321neo cabin launch. It hasn’t stopped there though, as there have been signature scents and even homeware products that the airline has launched…
Read MoreChina Airlines Introduces Refreshing New Summer Menu And Dining Innovations
China Airlines has won countless awards from TheDesignAir over the years due to its constant drive to quantum leap their cabin product. Now at a truly international level, the airline is investing in to new dining concepts that both innovate and get the taste buds going. This summer, China Airlines is introducing a number of…
Read MoreJuneyao Airlines introduces new uniforms and reveals inflight offering on first of true long-haul routes, to Helsinki
Juneyao Airlines has just revealed its new cabin crew uniform, which will be rolled out on the new route from Shanghai to Helsinki this week. The threads, designed by Guo Pei, might look familiar, with the female uniform looking quite similar to the Cheongsam dresses from Hainan Airlines thanks to the ornate embroidery and Chinese traditional elements.…
Read MoreTen stories we loved in 2021
As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of our most popular stories on the site this year, as well a few of our own favourites too. Do let us know what were your own personal highlights too, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s to another exciting year in…
Read MoreAir China’s A350 to be launch customer of new Recaro ‘Suites’
Air China has just announced it will bring a brand new Business Class seat to 10 of its A350s. While the carrier has a diverse selection of business class seats depending on which aircraft you are travelling on – the latest A350 seats might not be the most spacious, but they might just be the…
Read MoreLufthansa trials economy ‘Sleeper’s Row’ concept on Sao Paulo routes
Lufthansa is utilising this time to trial new economy concept products. While it recently announced that in economy passengers on short-haul flights will now have to pay for dining and drink options, on the long-haul network the carrier is currently testing a new Economy Class seating concept called “Sleeper’s Row”. This product follows the likes…
Read MoreJason Wu launches new sleepwear range on EVA Air, brought to life by Buzz
EVA Air, unlike it’s competitor China Airlines, offers sleepwear for it’s Business Class passengers on the carrier’s long-haul flights. Extending on a successful partnership, EVA Air is updating its collaboration with internationally renowned fashion designer Jason Wu to create its second-generation inflight sleepwear. The exclusive partnership brought to life by global design company Buzz, sees…
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 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 MoreEva Air Launches New Pyjamas By Jason Wu
Designed exclusively for EVA Air, through a new partnership with Jason Wu, the airline has launched a collection of branded unisex sleeper suits and slippers for Royal Laurel/Premium Laurel Class passengers. David Chen, Senior Vice-President at EVA Air, said: “As Taiwan’s premiere airline, we are proud to partner with world-renowned luxury designer, Jason Wu. Together,…
Read MoreStarlux launches cute new safety video, but raises a question over its brand direction
Starlux is currently a bit of an enigma. Slowly but surely, parts of the passenger experience are being revealed ahead of its launch in January 2020. The airline has already revealed its uniforms which are part-astronaut, part haute couture. There are also product ranges, fully-flat beds on their short-haul aircraft and now a cute, comic-book…
Read MoreJiatai bring new Economy and Business Class seats to the industry in partnership with Factorydesign
AVIC Cabin Services is more than just AIM altitude and Thompson Aero Seating, however those will be more familiar names than Jiatai. However, it’s one company and part of the group not to be overlooked. Jiatai’s new JT220B Business Class and JT220E Economy Class seats are a result of the company’s strategy, supported by ACS,…
Read MoreChina Airlines Brings Their A350-900 To London Gatwick
Starting 1st December 2017, China Airlines will bring their state-of-the-art A350-900 from Taipei to London Gatwick. The carrier is the latest to join a growing list of long-haul airlines flying from Asia. This additional European destination joins Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rome and Vienna that the carrier also regularly flies to. Initially flying 4 times a week,…
Read MoreAir New Zealand innovates yet again, this time with a conceptual ‘Skynest’ for economy passengers
Air New Zealand has a fairly unique proposition, offering daily ultra long-haul flights across the globe while catering to a home country with just half the population of London. As such, its had to innovate to remain at the top of it’s game, and has already rolled out products like the (short-lived) Premium Economy Spaceseat,…
Read MoreChina Eastern New A350s And Shanghai Airlines 787s Feature Impressive New Business and ‘First’ Products
Both China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines are receiving new cabin products for their latest generation aircraft deliveries. Shanghai Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner arrived at the Hongqiao International Airport, delivered to China Eastern’s affiliated Shanghai Airlines to become the carrier’s 100th aircraft. The new aircraft will initially serve domestic routes between Shanghai and Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. After that,…
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 MoreIn This Current Climate, Is There A Need For Leading Business Class Airlines?
No matter how we look at it, the aviation business class landscape is changing, and is potentially as fragmented as ever. The race to the bottom is evident, even in currently touted ‘5-star airlines’ who seek profitability. Whether a desire to chase the most effective cabin configuration (LOPA), decision to reduce amenities to the bare…
Read MoreIs this the new international standard for long-haul Business class?
For anyone that travels in premium cabins a lot, there seem to be a few moving goalposts when it comes to an internationally standardised product. Where some carriers believe business class comes with all bells and whistles, such as chauffeur drive, the same carrier might not believe in pyjamas. While some offer dine on demand,…
Read MoreTrip Report: China Airlines A350-900 Business Class March 2017
Flight: CI063 Aircraft Type: A350-900 Class: Business Class Route: TPE-VIE Date: March 2017 http://www.china-airlines.com China Airlines last year won two awards from us for their formidable turn-around of their inflight and ground product, especially in business class. Their A350-900 is the latest aircraft to join the fleet and features their brand new Business Class product, based on Ray Chen’s design found…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Launches 2018 Awards Shortlist
TheDesignAir 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 MoreJoon Launches ‘Cosy Joon’, A New Family Travel Experience
Joon, the millennial airline by Air France has just launched a new hybrid economy product that will be music to young family’s ears. Four rows of the economy cabin will now be fitted with pairs of seats that can be converted in to beds for kids. This is almost the same as the Sky Couch…
Read MoreToilet Talk. Is This The Future Of B777 Restrooms?
Believe it or not, the 777 toilet may not be one of the most talked about parts of the passenger experience, but it hasn’t really changed since the 777 came to service decades ago. So step ahead 24 years and it’s about time that a company is offering a brand new concept to the aircraft’s…
Read MoreHNA Launches New ‘Dream Feather’ Brand Concept, Designed By Priestmangoode
HNA is the latest contemporary airline to bring both brand image and passenger experience inline with a holistic approach designed by UK-based company PriestmanGoode. For over two years the design studio was brought in ‘to create designs that reflect a sense of place and appeal to international passengers’. Entitled ‘Dream Feather’ the concept is…
Read MoreBreaking Down Walls, Are Doors In Business Class Really That Important For Passengers?
A few years ago, the race was on to kit out an airline’s entire fleet with fully-flat, all-aisle access seats in business class, as this was a quantifiable benefit from competitors who were offering either angled lie-flat or seats that didn’t feature aisle access. A few key seats became de-facto benchmarks in passenger expectations, including…
Read MoreBritish Airways New Business Class Suite Product Leaves Us Feeling Mixed Emotions
Unless you have been living under a rock today you will already have seen the new business class product for British Airways, dubbed the ‘Club Suite.’ The new suite brings a range of improvements to the passenger experience including all-aisle access, more storage, larger IFE screens and even doors, offering even more privacy, similar to…
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 MoreChina Airlines Reveal Video Walk-Through Of New A350
China Airlines has just revealed a very high quality video walk-through of their new A350, showing off their new A350 Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy classes. It’s the first time the airline has given the full picture behind the new cabin. The cabins offer points of difference from the new 777 fleet that have…
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