It’s been a while, but we are continuing our comparison reports on some of the most popular and competitive routes in the world. In the midst of our recent travel planning we noticed the great variety of carriers travelling between Hong Kong and Bangkok. There are 9 main competitors that run the city pair, formed of Thai Airways, Emirates, Sri…
Read MoreReport: The SIN NRT Business Class comparison
Continuing our comparison reports on some of the most popular and competitive routes in the world, we have taken a look at our Asian super-highway between Singapore and Tokyo-Narita. There are 5 main competitors (plus low-cost Scoot) that run the city pair, including ANA, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Delta and United. To make it easy we have…
Read MoreReport: The LAX LHR Business Class comparison
Starting our series of competitive routes around the world, we are breaking down the details of what each airline has to offer to help you find the perfect airline for you for your trip. To start with, we are looking at Los Angeles to London Heathrow. In this post we are looking at the business…
Read MoreVirgin Australia launches new Adelaide Lounge with new brand image
The aviation landscape in Australia may have shifted quite dramatically over the past few months, with new regional entrant Rex looking to take on Qantas on the main Melbourne – Sydney shuttle route and Virgin Australia re-emerging as a mid market carrier, and there’s even talk that Qantas isn’t taking project Sunrise off the table…
Read MoreHappy Chinese New Year, Qatar Airways style
In traditional Qatar Airways style, the airline doesn’t hold back when it comes to a celebration. In honour of the Chinese New Year, the airline has introduced an oriental inspired menu on board flights to popular Asia destinations between 11 and 12 February 2021. In Qatar Airways’ Doha Al Mourjan Business Lounge, passengers will also…
Read MoreWhy so blue? The dominance of the colour in the industry
Aviation is awash with blue. Approximately a decade ago, the skies were filled with blue liveries, interiors lined wall-to-wall with blue seats, carpets, and uniforms in every shade of navy. While design studios have gradually peeled airline brands away from such a strong design vertical, what caused such visual dominance in the industry?
Read MoreJapan Airlines’ Tsurumaru inspires new range of origami crane amenities by Nendo
Japan Airlines has just released its latest range of amenities and soft products for its domestic and international travellers. The latest designs have been brought to life by Japanese design studio Nendo with a nod to the Tsurumaru crane logo that is synonymous with the carrier. As part of the process, the studio deconstructed the…
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 MoreHot Hotel: Soneva bucks the trend in travel and hospitality with an unlimited all-inclusive product ‘Soneva Unlimited’
We’ve always kept an eye on Soneva, it epitomises the future of hospitality. The brand isn’t new, but the properties are well known within the industry for being the epitome of luxury, sustainability and service. While Soneva Fushi, situated in the Maldives might be the longest serving property in the portfolio, Soneva Jani – its…
Read MoreAccess all areas. Factorydesign creates show-stopping hybrid all-aisle-access business class seat for narrow bodies
Hot on the heels of its Vantage Solo design (now being manufactured by Thompson Aero Seating), London-based Factorydesign has revealed details about its mid-market hybrid business class seat for narrow body long-haul aircraft. Trying to navigate the economics and ergonomics of a premium product on a narrow body aircraft proves one of the most difficult…
Read MoreJetBlue’s new A220 features a sleek new cabin, mirroring the carrier’s latest fleet
JetBlue has just revealed the all-new onboard experience which will soon greet customers aboard the airline’s Airbus A220-300. It is the first of no less than 70 A220’s that JetBlue has on order, that was delivered to the airline’s home at John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 5 in New York on New Year’s Eve.…
Read MoreHo Chi Minh’s newest super-hub airport Long Thanh, in Vietnam starts construction
Situated approximately 40kms from Ho Chi Minh City Centre, the latest super-hub airport in Asia last week commenced construction, with an estimated first phase completion in 2025. The Long Thanh International Airport is one of the most interesting new airport developments globally right now, and reflects the relatively huge upswing in air travel to and…
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 MoreStelia’s new Opera narrow body seat might not look a game changer, but it’s a clever evolution
Stelia’s new ‘Opera’ seat has just entered the market, specifically for narrow-body single-aisle cabins. This new “Full Flat, Full Access, Full Privacy” Business Class seat claims it offers the highest standard wide-body comfort on single-aisle. Now you might be like, ‘hang on, I’ve seen reverse herringbone seats on single-aisle aircraft before, such as American Airlines…
Read MoreAmaala unveils new airport design, representing a desert mirage.
Amaala, a luxurious destination located along Saudi Arabia’s northwestern coast, has just unveiled plans for a new international airport, with a design inspired by the optical illusion of a desert mirage which will act as a striking entry point to many International visitors. There’s good reason the terminal might look somewhat familiar, it’s been imagined…
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 MoreAmerican unifies 787 Business Class product, with the 787-8 receiving an upgraded experience.
We’re starting to see some positive stories across the industry now, focussing on a return to service and a return to growth. From Wizz’s latest route announcements, to design agencies and airlines setting up their near-future solutions to Covid-19. However, American Airlines’ latest 787 deliveries re-energise a positive conversation about cabin releases on the horizon.…
Read MoreOpinion: Why the world needs innovative airlines like Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand
As 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 MoreZip Air Tokyo launches a … well… confusing product, fulfilling its low cost roots – to some extent
ZIPAIR Tokyo, JAL’s low-cost subsidiary has just announced its new cabins that will feature on the carrier’s 787-8s. While the airline will start flying two Seoul and Bangkok as of May next year, little was known about the product it was going to offer. In comparison in the other fledgling carrier in the region –…
Read MoreSkyTeam opens new branded lounge in Istanbul
SkyTeam has officially opened the doors to its seventh branded lounge with its signature distinct style including bright lively colours and never-ending curved features. Located in Istanbul’s new airport (IST), the facility is served by seven alliance members: Aeroflot, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia and TAROM. The lounge features a statement…
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 MoreLounging Around: Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge, Istanbul
If you haven’t travelled through Istanbul’s newest behemoth airport yet, you’re certainly in for a surprise. It certainly dwarves the previous airport and it couldn’t be more different. Light, airy and architecturally stunning, it’s a true gateway hub for the region and has set a standard for global airports for the next decade to come.…
Read MoreAs ‘Project Sunrise’ research flight takes to the skies, we ask is ultra-long travel really just pushing passengers too far?
The airline industry has a history of records from fastest flight to longest flight, the highest to the biggest, there’s a list as long as an A340-600 of impressive stats and figures that celebrate the innovation and scientific advancements in the airline industry. For a sector celebrating a centenary this year its amazing how far…
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 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 MoreLATAM launches new business class dining and celebrates first 777 with new cabin products
This week saw LATAM unveil the final phases of its upgraded ‘Premium Business’ service by showcasing to press the first Boeing 777 in its fleet to feature the group’s new cabin product. The new business class service and hard product is part of a $500 million investment to improve the passenger experience and includes US$400…
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 MoreCan Star Ratings Of Airlines Be Trusted?
In a world where everyone can now easily become a critic, navigating our way through the vast swathes of reviews can be daunting. After all, human nature dictates we will only ever comment on something exceptional. This is why ‘average’ reviews are rarely seen, with either excellent or scathing comments usually posted. Airlines are subject…
Read MoreLa Compagnie already flying A321 neos with Collins Aerospace Diamond seats
Passengers between New York and Paris rejoice, there’s a new fully-flat bed option connecting the two cities. Well, La Compagnie might not be a new carrier, but their new A321 Neo can be seen as a quantum leap in passenger comfort in comparison to their ageing 757s that were previously operating the route. While that…
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…
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