It may not be first to the punch, but following on Lufthansa’s coattails, Swiss has revealed its own personalised ‘SWISS Senses’ air travel experience from 2025 onwards utilising exactly the same hardware as sister carrier Lufthansa. The centrepiece of the new customer product is a redesigned cabin for the airline’s long-haul aircraft fleet, which was…
Read MoreLufthansa has already got a competitive Premium Economy seat, however the carrier saw it time to upgrade some of its fleet. While the ZIMmagic Premium Economy product from seat manufacturer ZIM already features on much of Lufthansa’s long haul fleet, the carrier has looked to both improve its product, and match the new Swiss Premium…
Read MoreToday we were invited to see the grand official reveal of SWISS’ latest product in an arsenal of improvements over the past few years. While the airline started with a range of improvements to its ground product and older A340 fleet a few years ago, the airline’s new Premium Economy has been a few years…
Read MoreSWISS has now joined the ranks of its fellow Lufthansa Group airlines in offering Premium Economy, which will supplement its existing Economy, Business and First classes of travel from the fourth quarter of this year. Interestingly the airline has opted for a fixed-backshell seat which usually gets a bad rap for passenger comfort although it…
Read MoreWhile Swiss has announced that in economy passengers will soon have to pay for food and drink onboard short-haul flights, things have taken a radical shift in the opposite gear onboard the carrier’s long-haul premium cabins. Crafted by Michelin-starred chef Alexandra Müller of the Romantik Hôtel L’Etoile in Charmey, Canton Fribourg, these latest culinary creations…
Read MoreToday sees the opening of the latest Swiss lounge in Zurich, replacing the old First Class lounge in the A gates of Terminal 2, the new Alpine Lounge helps provide some respite to the Schengen departure swells due to the morning and evening flight banks. The airline has several lounges already across Zurich, and all…
Read MoreWhile 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 MoreJune saw the announcement of a brand new pier at Zurich’s International Airport. After over 35 years in operation, Dock A has now reached the end of its life cycle and has to be replaced. In its place, will sit a brand new and stunning construction, brought to life by the teams at BIG, HOK…
Read MoreWhile 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 More2019 has seen yet another year of great innovation, new products, new airlines, new lounges and new airport facilities across the globe. It just goes to show how quickly the industry continues to evolve and respond to the ever-increasing needs of an airline passenger. Just before this year, or even this decade, comes to a…
Read MoreLufthansa peeled back the curtain today on its new Allegris product, with a wide range of products now on offer across its future wide-bodied fleet. We’ve already covered most of this story here including the myriad of Business Class seating options that Allegris will be offering. However, perhaps the scene stealer today is Lufthansa’s First…
Read MoreAs travel starts to comeback to the UAE, Sharjah’s airport has opened its newly designed Premium Lounge, which will cater to all passengers either with a suitable lounge programme, or by payment on entry. The lounge is just one element in a 4,000 square metre extension. The extensive refurbishment of the lounge features a paired…
Read MoreFor so many, the writing has been on the wall for First Class. After all, the gulf between First and Business Class was bridged by a wave of suites, fully flat beds and all-aisle access in the larger more affordable J class cabin. This means for many now, the upgrade to First Class simply meant…
Read MoreSwiss has just opened its redesigned Lounge Centre A at Zurich Airport in Switzerland. The new lounge complex, which is mainly aimed at short-haul travellers, includes a Business and a Senator Lounge. These follow the design of the First Class lounge which recently opened. Made up of series of zones with a range of privacy…
Read MoreTheDesignAir is thrilled to announce the 2019 award winners as voted for by our esteemed judging panel and our readers. Year after year, we see more improvements and enhancements across the passenger experience, from narrow to wide bodies to lounges and airports around the globe. We showcase the 2019 winners here.
Read MoreThroughout 2020, we’ve seen the great efforts airlines have made to quickly adapt the passenger experience from check-in all the way through to onboard. However, airports across the world have also had to play a part in enhancing social distancing and help space out the flow of passengers throughout terminals and gate areas. Luckily, both…
Read MoreAviation 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 MoreSwiss opened the doors today to its stunning new First Class ‘Lounge A’ in Zurich. Designed as part of a curb-to-aircraft experience, the 650-square-metre lounge features check-in facilities, its own security checkpoint, an à la carte restaurant and a barista bar serving a wide range of Swiss grappas and further fruit brandies. As part of…
Read MoreTheDesignAir 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 MoreStar Alliance customers travelling from Amsterdam Schiphol can look forward to a new lounge experience, competing with the new KLM Crown Lounge that is still in development. The new Star Alliance Lounge will welcome eligible First and Business Class passengers and Star Alliance Gold Card holders as well as eligible paid lounge members of the…
Read MorePassengers checking in or transiting through Paris CDG might notice something different. As ambassadors of ‘French lifestyle and superior savoir-faire’, Air France and the Palace of Versailles share many values and help to promote France’s influence throughout the world. As a result, they have created a unique partnership to create and offer Air France’s La Première…
Read MoreNo 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 MoreWith the recent launch of Air Belgium, legacy carrier Brussels Airlines has had to make sure it keeps its product offering competitive. Not surprisingly, they turned to JPA Design, a London-headquartered company that has brought the likes of premium carriers Singapore Airlines and Finnair to life, as well as other mid-level carriers such as Hawaiian…
Read MoreThe latest airline of the Lufthansa Group to get a fresh new look is Austrian. The airline went through a rebrand only a few years ago, adopting a more friendly, softer approach with the addition of ‘My’ to its brand image. However, in a bid to make a more ‘digital-appropriate’ brand, the airline has removed…
Read MoreThis week saw the announcement of Austrian Airlines’s new Premium Economy cabin product. Starting right now, passengers can book a seat in the new travel class for flights starting on March 6, 2018. While nothing particularly groundbreaking, the centrepiece of the new Premium Economy Class is the new seat ZIM seat providing passengers with more comfort…
Read MoreSWISS is the latest airline to take delivery of a brand new 777-300ER and yesterday they showed off the new aircraft to members of the media. Our reporter Sven Hennig was there to take a look at what we think is the latest ‘designer’ aircraft interior by London based Priestmangoode. In total, Swiss International Air Lines will…
Read MoreSwiss last month took delivery of their 777-300ER and revealed their newest lounges, but last week the carrier also released a video on YouTube, which showcases the many faces of the airline. We are in love with the new video, which is beautifully shot and edited. It may be 5 minutes-something long but it’s well worth a…
Read MoreFrom everyone at TheDesignAir, we want to wish you a very Happy New Year. As the new year rolls in, we take the time to celebrate 2016. It’s been yet another fantastic year in aviation with numerous new products rolled out and airlines once again investing heavily into brand, product and design. At the start of December, we…
Read MoreThis month, Edelweiss launched a brand new livery for their fleet of aircraft. The subtle change in the look supports the leading Swiss leisure travel airline’s growth, and underscores its origins as well as reflecting its more premium in-flight product. As well as the new aircraft design, Edelweiss will also modernise the interior of its entire Airbus A320…
Read MoreSWISS will be ushering-in a new era in the history of its long-haul aircraft fleet next January with the arrival of the first of its nine new Boeing 777-300ERs. In SWISS configuration these new state of the art Boeing aircraft will seat a handsome 340 passengers. In SWISS’s configuration the Boeing 777-300ER will offer eight in…
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