Yesterday saw the very first of no less than 120 retrofitted aircraft take off from Dubai to London Heathrow. As part of a US$2billion upgrade program, EK003 heralds the start of a huge investment from Emirates to bring all of their A380s back to the skies, and – eventually – featuring the latest cabin 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 MoreEmirates adds one more colourful Expo 2020 design to its fleet
Emirates, the Premier Partner and Official Airline of Expo 2020 Dubai, has just revealed yet another bold head-turning A380 livery. This time, dedicated to further carrying the delayed global event’s messages worldwide. However, it’s not the first livery to support the Expo. Eagle eyes may have noticed a circular pattern on many of their fleet.…
Read MoreEmirates finally reveals Premium Economy product and upgrades to the A380. But is it a sheep in wolf’s clothing?
Emirates is one of the last bastions of the A380. Thanks to its critical mass of the product, once vaccines take hold and confidence in travel returns, the airline will be well poised to offer luxury travel to the masses once again. The carrier already has an arsenal at its ready to help position itself…
Read MoreEmirates trying to fix its two-product proposition for premium passengers
Fly 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 MoreEmirates latest to invest in a measured design approach to hygiene
Emirates has taken a very pragmatic approach to hygiene in – perhaps – the most advanced myriad of sanitisation products to ensure a safer journey without impacting the passenger experience in a way so far removed from what we were once used to. The airline’s model shows potential blueprints for a mid-term approach to travelling…
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 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 MoreFlyDubai to introduce Haeco Eclipse seats to 737 Max orders
While details are scarce, it seems that according to one of FlyDubai’s latest posts, the airline is introducing a regional business class product, most likely to replace its older recline seats. While the airline has just hinted at the new product on social media, rather than a full announcement at this stage, it appears to…
Read MoreTheDesignAir 2021 Award Winners Announced
After a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the return of its annual Airline Design awards. Celebrating the very best in airline passenger experience, brand and design across the globe, the awards – now in its 9th year – have once again bestowed its leading design airlines, new products and…
Read MoreHow Condor’s new ‘Prime Seats’ have beaten Lufthansa to the punch, and it’s an unexpected Business Class elevation…
Now, Condor’s A330neo nautically business class might not be recent news, but social is finally buzzing around the airline’s decision to up-guage its front row of business class to a ‘Business Plus’ proposition. Dubbed ‘Prime Seats’, Condor’s front row of four seats are in effect ‘mini suites’ with a few hidden surprises that the airline…
Read MoreStarlux gives a masterclass in cabin design with its new A350s
Award-winning Taiwanese carrier Starlux has just received its first of over a dozen new A350s, destined to start flying long-haul routes next year. As well as being the first carrier to have Airbus’ latest version of the XWB, which features an additional 4″ of internal width at the shoulder level and electronically tinted windows. While…
Read MoreEmirates ‘Fly Better Campaign’ Reflects Airline’s Impressive IFE Offering
This week saw Emirates launch a brand new “Fly Better” campaign which coincide with the launch of its bold new brand promise. The campaign, which features a full length commercial, which will be aired in November, refers to its extensive award-winning inflight entertainment system which has one of the widest-ranging selection of movies, TV shows and…
Read MoreFrom 4-star to all star? Lufthansa introduces ‘Allegris’ to try to elevate future passenger experience
While Lufthansa had to quietly retreat from it’s questionable 5-star Skytrax rating just a few weeks ago, to a more understandable 4-star rating, it’s no surprise that the carrier is trying to pull out all the stops to re-energise interest in the carrier which has been marred recently by news of impending strikes. Yesterday Lufthansa…
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 MoreQantas reveals renders of its premium Project Sunrise cabins
Qantas has finally unveiled prototypes of the First and Business cabins on the aircraftthat will fly passengers non-stop from Australia to New York and London from late 2025 along with a detailed virtual reality fly-through render of the aircraft cabins. This comes shortly after news of a new First Class lounge that will open in…
Read MoreCould tactile, textured finishes be an emerging trend post-COVID?
It’s long been established in scientific fields that memories, emotions, and senses are all tied together. The same region of the brain that processes the five senses is also partly responsible for storing emotional memories. In the airline field, that means passengers are more likely to remember and build brand memories that tie in all five senses…
Read MoreInaugural Trip Report: Air New Zealand 787-9 Business Premier
I was lucky enough to be invited onboard Air New Zealand’s inaugural JFK-AKL flight in September, the 4th longest flight in the world. I’ve done similar trips such as Emirates A380 LAX-DXB flights, but there’s something more unfoundedly daunting about crossing swathes of Ocean. No human likes to be stuck in a confined space for…
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 Launches New Children’s Toy Range Featuring Fan Favourites
Emirates has introduced new toys from the Emirates ‘Fly with Me’ collection and also Lonely Planet Kids activity kit bags for children travelling in all classes. The new range of toys will come in the top four favourite characters, as voted by customers and fans in a social media competition held last year. The airline…
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic New A330Neo delights with ‘better-than-Upper Class’ product and better fleet alignment
Launched today in London’s still-trendy Shoreditch, Virgin Atlantic’s new A330neo product should indeed turn heads. Launching a brand new product across a small yet nimble fleet usually means that the product offering becomes increasingly fragmented, but actually the airline has stumbled upon better synergies than ever on its Transatlantic offering. Introduced on Virgin Atlantic’s 16…
Read MoreEmirates Upgrades Amenities For Business And First Class Passengers
Emirates has once again kept itself ahead of the curve by refreshing its premium offering with brand new luxury products in their First and Business Classes. The new products stem from collaborations with Byredo skincare, Bowers & Wilkins and no surprises that Emirates’ longstanding partnership with Bulgari continues, now with refreshed amenity kits. For First…
Read MoreDon’t put your feet up. Why airlines still have to invest in design, especially now
Unless you’ve had your head under a rock, you might have noticed that airlines are struggling to survive right now. Their entire model is based on free movement between destinations, a right that has since been rescinded by the global governments who are trying to get a grip on the pandemic. As such, airlines are…
Read MoreGulf Air shows off new A321LR cabins with flatbeds in Business Class
Over the past few years Gulf Air has managed to really shake off its tired products of the past and reposition itself as a boutique carrier that gives the ME3 a run for their money. The 787 product is certainly stunning, and we thought that in many ways, thanks to their smaller more intimate cabins,…
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 MoreEmirates Launches Upgraded 777-200LR Business Class Product On Brand New Route To Santiago, Via São Paulo
Emirates has seen the successful launch of its new route to Santiago de Chile, Chile, a mammoth 20+ hour trip from its home hub in Dubai. Luckily the airline gives passengers a chance to stretch their legs in Sao Paulo, where the airline makes a stop over in both directions. Luckily the route is getting…
Read MoreCan’t Wait To Fly? You Can Fly From The Comfort Of Your Own Home Thanks to Emirates’ Virtual Reality Cabins
We’ve already had some fun playing around with the delights of Emirates‘ brand new online sales and marketing tool, but this new immersive 3D world has officially launched, making Emirates the first airline to introduce web virtual reality (VR) technology on its digital platform, although a walk through isn’t new as it launched a google street…
Read MoreCould VR be a powerful tool both for design and communication post Covid-19? PriestmanGoode think so
Virtual 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 MoreOpinion: Could Etihad become the Queen of Boutique Carriers post-pandemic?
We’ve been drowning in a sea of short-term hygiene messages across the last year as airlines have rapidly ‘masked up’ in order to win over what little passenger volume there has been. Today’s passengers have been assaulted by marketing imagery of planes being scrubbed within an inch of their life, crew in body suits and…
Read MoreCould These Be The Blueprints For Emirates New 777X Business Class Seats?
At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Germany today, we saw the unveiling of a new business class seat model, created by a joint venture between Adient and Boeing. They have developed lie-flat business class seat prototypes to potential customers at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. “It will be our goal to provide a superior…
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