China Eastern took another step forwards in the last week of 2019 with the introduction of a new retro-fitted business class cabin on some of its narrow body aircraft. Reflecting the increasing demand for air travel in China and the increasing competitive approach to offering a world-class product, the airline opted to remove its previous…
Read MoreBoth 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 MoreThis month our favourite independent lounge company Plaza Premium launched a brand new lounge in Shanghai Pudong for China Eastern airlines. The world’s first co-branded spacious lounge, situated in Shanghai’s Terminal 2 features 1,800 square meters of space for passengers to relax before their flights. The lounge which can seat up to 500 guests in comfort,…
Read MoreThis week saw the opening of SkyTeam’s latest beautiful lounge in Hong Kong International Airport. This is the latest major SkyTeam lounge opening since Sydney earlier this year. The ‘Exclusive’ Lounge is the result of a partnership between China Airlines and China Eastern airlines. It is SkyTeam’s first VIP Lounge in the Greater China region and the…
Read MoreToday is the launch party of China Eastern‘s New 777-300ER which has now commenced commercial service to LA, with the carrier launching the brand new Boeing aircraft on their prestigious trans-Pacific Shanghai – Los Angeles route. With already established routes to America, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu to Shanghai, China Eastern is poised to become a…
Read More[Updated] Last week we mentioned in a story that we hoped that in 2020 airlines would start to break the mould and start thinking differently about liveries and brand image and it seems that resurrected Eastern Airlines has done exactly that. Announced yesterday, the new conceptual design for the decades-old carrier – designed by Mechanica…
Read MoreFlight: CI3 (Westbound) and CI4 (Eastbound) Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Premium Business Class Route: SFO-TPE-SFO Date: September 2015 http://www.china-airlines.com Written for TheDesignAir by Adam Ralston | San Francisco is inarguably one of the busiest US gateways to and from Asia. All US legacy carriers and a multitude of foreign carriers provide direct service to several points of entry throughout…
Read MoreSo you may have guessed we’ve been travelling recently with China Airlines, and for good reason. The Airline’s NextGen program to reinject life into the quieter of the Asian airlines has been nothing short of impressive. The latest element to join this facelift, is the new lounge in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 1, situated where…
Read MoreAcumen, the London based design studio, has been working with JetBlue for several years, reimagining the passenger experience. Back in 2016 they commenced work on the new A321neo cabin, but they have also worked on the new A321LR project which graced the news this week, thanks to its innovative business class cabin featuring the new…
Read MoreJetBlue 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 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 MoreDoors. This is where it all starts. Over the past few years, the differences between First Class and Business Class hard-products have become fewer and farther between. We’re now in an era where British Airways new Business Class product offers equal space and more privacy than its older First Class product. Airlines such as Qatar…
Read MoreA 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 MoreQantas is investing in its Melbourne lounges with a major upgrade program set to offer new designs, more seating and new dining options. The first phase of the new Business Lounge opens today, while the first phase of the new Qantas Club opened back in May. “Melbourne is one of the most frequented ports on our…
Read MoreDelta recently announced it will be moving its operations to Terminal 2 and 3 in LAX from May 12th. It will be one of the largest terminal moves in the history of commercial aviation, but the benefits seem to outweigh the temporary inconveniences. The move is the start of a larger expansion and improvement plan for…
Read MoreNext week sees the doors open to Qantas‘ latest lounge in Brisbane, Australia. The domestic lounge is the latest addition to a multi-million pound upgrade at the airport. The upgrade began in October 2016 with the opening of a new International Lounge and will be completed in the coming months with an upgraded Qantas Club and new Chairmans…
Read MoreFollowing this year’s opening of SkyTeam‘s Hong Kong lounge, the alliance is about to launch a second greater-China lounge in Beijing Capital International Airport. The sixth worldwide lounge for the group will offer a “luxurious pre-flight experience complemented by high-end amenities” for First and Business Class passengers and Elite Plus members flying on any of the…
Read MoreStarting this month passengers on XiamenAir may notice they are being served by cabin crew wearing entirely new threads. The new uniforms for men will join the women’s uniforms that were launched May last year. Designed by famous Taiwanese fashion designer Jamei Chen, the new male uniforms for include off tailored silhouettes that hark back to the JetSet…
Read MoreThis month we celebrate all things fashion. Our Top 10 airline uniforms for 2015 are a real feast for the eyes. This is one category where product from 40 years ago is still pitched against the very latest products on the market, and some of these products really do stand the test of time. We…
Read MoreHere at Thedesignair we have been watching the recent trend over the past few months of new uniforms being launched around the world, from China Eastern to Virgin Atlantic, new threads have become the new norm, lifting the inflight product and refreshing the cabin look and feel, whilst also (hopefully) making the cabin crew a…
Read MoreThe rise of the low cost brand a decade ago challenged the legacy carriers to reconsider their business model. Passengers were able to pick between the privileges of a packet of nuts, or a bare bones charge-through-the-teeth model where even you seat choice was a privilege. However, through the natural evolution of business, the…
Read MoreFlight: AF456 Aircraft Type: B777-200 Class: Business Class Route: CDG-GRU Date: April 2016 http://www.airfrance.com Ever since our failed chance to experience Air France’s new business class last year, we’ve been keen for another opportunity to experience Air France’s latest and acclaimed new hard product, that has moved the carriers 2 x 3 x 2 seating to a 1 x 2…
Read MoreThis week saw the official opening of their latest designer lounge in Terminal 1 of Dubai International Airport, the first for SkyTeam in the Gulf region. Catering to Elite Plus, First and Business Class passengers of the ten SkyTeam airlines flying to the airport. The new space spans over 960 square metres and can seat up…
Read More2015 has been an impressive year with many carriers taking advantage of the lowered oil prices to invest heavily into their passenger experience both on the ground and in the air. We take a look at the best carriers around the world that have caught our attention this year. We offer a retrospective of the…
Read MoreIt has been a busy year for Business Class, with a staggering array of new products being launched as carriers fight for their most lucrative passenger base. Our list contains some surprises, with familiar names falling off and lesser-known carriers appearing. Generally speaking, the products scored lower this year, possibly because consumers’ expectations are rising. The judges looked, as always, at hard and soft product first— but the very highest…
Read MoreFlight: CX250 Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: LHR-HKG Flight time: 11:45 Seat: 16D Date: April 2015 http://www.cathaypacific.com Best for: Regular travellers connecting from Europe to Asia, with five flights a day, the airline offers a great variety of flight departure times with connections onto a variety of China and pan-Asian destinations. The crowd: Completely full, as always. Cathay manages to combine…
Read MoreWe are pleased to announce our Top 10 economy classes for 2015. The last 18 months have changed the landscape for economy class travel, with passengers around the world benefiting from new aircraft, new products and increased inflight entertainment options. While there are some new entrants into our list this year, the competition was tougher than ever, due to an increasingly…
Read MoreThis month TheDesignAir takes a look at everything that airlines should be. Airlines we want to travel with, and are going above and beyond to create something truly unique in the sky. Our judges have voted and, interestingly, our top 10 all fit within just a 6 percent margin, and, yet again, we haven’t been able to just fit in 10…
Read MoreOur TheDesignAir Top 10 lists have undergone a revamp in 2014, and to aid transparency, our top 10 airlines will now have their rating out of 100 shown, as voted for and calculated by our judging panel. What is interesting for our Top 10 International business classes 2014 is the wide ranging percentage scores within the top…
Read MoreAccording to Flightglobal, Turkish Airlines is just finalising a deal to add 4 A380’s to its fleet as early as this summer. The International airline will be wet-leasing the aircraft from as of yet, an unnamed airline, according to the airline, Turkish plan on using the super-jumbos on services to China where slot availability is…
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