The news of a new narrow-body interior for a flag-carrier in South East Asia usually would usually find other carriers across the world become a little more nervous, as expectations of a premium passenger experience adds pressure to enhance their own offerings. We’ve seen in the past few years new flatbeds in Singapore Airlines narrowbodies,…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines and Heathrow showcase hygiene measures
Yesterday saw Malaysia Airlines, in partnership with Heathrow Airport, host a tour for a select few –including TheDesignAir – to see first-hand and experience the health and safety procedures that have been introduced to ensure that passengers have a safer and comfortable journey from their arrival at the airport through to reaching their destination. We…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines launches new amenity kits for Business Class passengers
Malaysia Airlines is certainly worth considering when selecting long-haul flights through the Asia region as its easy to find affordable fares, and its product is certainly of an international standard. It’s continued to improve its position as one of the leading luxury carriers in the sky by revealing new amenity kits, Wi-Fi and upgraded soft…
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 MoreAirline cabins and hotels that are giving us wanderlust right now
While the team are doing their bit to help fight this pandemic and staying indoors, it’s also making us a little stir crazy as our wings have been clipped, at least for the coming weeks or months. Like many others out there, we’ve been finding ourselves going through our archives, going online and longing for…
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 MoreSingapore Airlines reveals its 737 interiors, with predicted flat beds in Business Class
Today saw Singapore Airlines officially launch its highly-anticipated new 737 cabin products, which will be rolled out on its Boeing 737-8 fleet in the coming weeks. Since the airline merged SilkAir back in to Singapore Airlines, there’s been a lot of anticipation on how the airline can match its impressive long-haul product with a short…
Read MoreExclusive: Minty Fresh, Acumen’s approach to JetBlue’s latest Business Class cabin
Acumen, 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 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 MoreMalaysia Airlines Brings Great Fares To The Skies… And Yes, That Means Another TheDesignAir Giveaway! (Maybe our best one yet!)
Yes, its certainly that time of the year. Another great carrier, Malaysia Airlines is offering some fantastic bargains, especially in economy. However, those wanting to experience the premium cabins are also able to get some great deals. For those travelling from London, passengers will get to experience the airlines’ state-of-the-art A350 aircraft, and enjoy their…
Read MoreThe Rise Of A New Class, ‘Business Suites’, But Will It See The Death Of First Class?
Doors. 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 MoreMalaysia Airlines Opens Impressive Lounges in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia Airlines has completed opening its doors to three new lounges in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We love these lounges, with their distinctive and ornate design, that will play home to the airline’s First and Business Class passengers, as well as oneworld and Enrich premium level guests. The new lounges are part of a new brand…
Read MoreBritish Airways announces new Heathrow lounges and global concierge team
British 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 MoreMalaysia Airlines Launches New Business Class And First Class Amenity Kits
To celebrate the launch of its new fleet of Airbus A350-900s from London to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Airlines recently launched their new amenity kits for Business Class and First Class passengers. Malaysia Airlines and Formia have introduced a new luxury “pleasant gift” concept. Offered to First Class passengers, the amenity kit gift collection includes ‘his and her’ amenity…
Read MoreMalaysian A350 Starts Service On Kuala Lumpur – London With New Products
Malaysia Airlines this week saw the launch of its new A350 product on its prestigious London route, with plans for it to replace the A380 product by March 2018. While this will see a capacity decrease, it will see a more contemporary product on the route, including a very intimate First Class cabin of just…
Read MoreAeromexico’s stylish new Etro amenity kit raises the question, do these kits now need to be reimagined?
It’s another month, another airline, another amenity kit. This time, Formia brought together a collaboration with Etro and Aeromexico, offering their business class passengers a stylish new kit bag filled with the usual perks befitting a premium passenger. “The style of Etro’s fashion lends itself perfectly to these amenity kits whose exterior is made of…
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 MoreSeven Of The Best Lounge Views In Heathrow Airport
Heathrow 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 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 MoreJAL Launch New Amenity Kits And Loungewear In Partnership With Porsche Design
Japan Airlines is the latest airline to invest in new amenity kits for their first class passengers. The new kits will feature on all International First Class routes, starting today, March 28, 2017. Porsche Design, the designer label that created the new kit, isn’t new to the airline industry, they’ve already worked with Malaysia Airlines in the…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines A330-300 Starts Flying With New Business Class Product
Malaysia Airlines this week unveiled its first A330-300 aircraft fitted with brand new fully-flat Business Class seats. The new seats have just starting flying on the Kuala Lumpur – Sydney route. As we reported back in November, Malaysia Airlines new Business Class seat is a great step up from the current angle lie-flat seats, although the layout doesn’t provide…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines Launches Updated A330 Business Class
Malaysia Airlines, in a bid to attract a new wave of flyers to its aircraft, unveiled its new A330-300 Business Class seats at the World Travel Market in London this week. The new seats, which will be introduced in April 2016, will see all 15 A330-300 aircrafts fitted with the new configuration by September 2016.…
Read MoreNew Gold Coast Terminal Set To Impress Ahead Of Commonwealth Games 2018
Australia’s Gold Coast is set to receive a very contemporary new terminal ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2018. Construction is just about to start on a new terminal building which will rise to three stories tall and feature 4 jet bridges. With over 6 million passengers a year, the airport is one of Australia’s largest…
Read MoreIntroducing Fly Mojo
Bombardier announced today, their latest purchaser of the new CS100 aircraft was a start-up airline flymojo, based out of Johor Bahru, Johor and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Just across the straits from Singapore, the airline has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the sale and purchase of 20 CS100 aircraft with options for an additional 20 CS100 aircraft. “Born of…
Read MoreTheDesignAir’s Top 10 Airline Uniforms 2015
This 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 MoreSuitcases Pack A Punch, No Matter How Small They May Be
You may not have heard of Formia, as they hide behind the behemoth brands they work with, however that may be about to change. This powerful (and award-winning) company manages to partner brands together to offer their passengers the very best in amenities. 2015 has brought a wealth of new luxury partnerships, and a new…
Read MoreThe Trouble With Segregation In An Airline Environment
A recent article on CNBC and the Daily Mail has highlighted how Saudia is considering segregating male and female passengers onboard its planes. Whilst we take this story with a pinch of salt, it does highlight how design onboard can either aid or hinder an airline’s core requirements. Whilst the laws have allegedly come in…
Read MoreThomson Airways Punches Above Its Weight With Radical New Cabin Concepts
This has taken us by surprise, as a traditionally non-innovatve travel brand, Thomson Airways today unveiled its radical and forward thinking five year vision to change the face of holiday flying through new state-of-the-art aircraft and innovative on-board product and service concepts. The two centre pieces of this new vision push the boundaries of economy…
Read MoreMacau Gets Great New Plaza Premium Lounge And VIP Rooms
Macau, gambling Mecca to Asia has just gained a lounge to be proud of. Plaza Premium Lounge has just launched their brand new space at the airport. Amazingly, 5 million passengers fly through Macau International Airport every year. Plaza Premium will be the only lounge provider in Macau. The new 4,340 square feet lounge will have…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Top 10 International First Classes Of 2013
With our return to our monthly Top 10’s, this month we celebrate the launch of several new First Class cabins around the world. Have they made our Top 10 though? Interestingly, as our judges went through the offerings, it became apparent that ‘International First Class’ cabins have changed over the past few years, turning from…
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