Star Alliance has officially completed the refurbishment of its seventh branded lounge, first opened 11 years ago at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport. At 980 square metres the lounge offers seating for just over 220 guests and takes influence from Parisian design and architecture. Muted greys, parquet flooring and stylish seating creates another residential approach, reflecting the…
Read MoreThai Airways Introduces 787-9 Aircraft With New Business Class Product
Thai Airways International has just welcomed a brand new 787-9 to its fleet. The first of its type for the carrier, the new, elongated model joins Thai’s six 787-8’s that are already flying for the carrier. The aircraft isn’t just a stretch version of the current cabin products however, as the carrier has introduced a…
Read MoreAir Tahiti Nui launches new uniforms
Last month saw Air Tahiti Nui unveil its unique, French Polynesian-inspired crew uniforms. The uniforms complete the passenger experience which includes the previous introduction of the 787 to the airline’s fleet. Air Tahiti Nui’s crew debuted the new uniforms at an event on June 20, 2019 in Paris Le Bourget. The uniforms which refine the previous…
Read MoreTrip Report: Thai Airways Royal Silk A380 Business Class June 2016
Flight: TG911 Aircraft Type: A380-800 Class: ‘Royal Silk’ Business Class Route: LHR-BKK Date: June 2016 http://www.thaiairways.com We were lucky enough to fly on Thai Airways almost twenty years ago, one of our first long haul flights as a kid, and since then, the airline has always stuck in our hearts. We remember orchid flowers being distributed to passengers and that…
Read MoreWhy The Battle For First Class Will Be Waged On The Ground
This year will see a wave of business class seats that resemble First Class more than ever before. Qatar Airways is introducing the new QSuite this month, Delta is introducing their new private business class suites and United has already rolled out their new business class product featuring all aisle access and fully flat seats.…
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 MoreQatar Airways New Business Class Offers Innovation For Passengers, But Is It Revolutionary?
At ITB Yesterday, Qatar Airways proudly launched its much anticipated new Business Class product. It has certainly impressed the public with its claims to have the world’s first double bed in business class, new sharing plate concept, sliding doors for privacy and large communal area for families of four. Don’t get us wrong, we are…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Exclusive Interview With Star Alliance’s Julie Murphy
Have you ever wondered what involvement the airline alliance has in the design language adopted by their airlines? With the rise the alliance-friendly terminal, such as Heathrow’s Terminal 2, we talk to Julie Murphy, Star Alliance’s Chair in the UK about design and customer experience. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, can…
Read MoreHot Hotels: Which Soneva Property Are You?
Regular visitors of TheDesignAir may know that we are big fans of the Soneva Group. We’ve also been lucky enough to experience all three properties. While Soneva is the equivalent to Singapore Airlines in the hotel world, the group only has three very exclusive properties around the world (plus a private yacht for aquatic adventure lovers).…
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 MoreThai Airways Updated Cabins By Priestmangoode
Thai Airways may have had the current staggered Sogerma Solstys seat arrangement on their 777 for a little while now, but the airline has finally invested into created a more customised and exquisite cabin concept. Designed by Priestmangoode, this is the 3rd announcement in as many weeks for the UK based consultancy. This is an extension of a larger…
Read MoreReport: The Bangkok – Hong Kong Business Class Comparison
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 MoreIs British Airways New Boost To Club All It’s Cracked Up To Be?
First, let us start by saying, we welcome – nay applaud – investment into a new Club World product for British Airways. The past few months and steerage of new CEO Alex Cruz has seen consistent cuts to the product, at a time when it needed serious investment. Ticket prices have been constantly higher than…
Read MoreTrip Report: SriLankan A330-300 Business Class February 2018
Flight: UL506 Aircraft Type: A330-300 Class: Business Class Route: LHR-CMB Date: February 2018 http://www.srilankan.com SriLankan Airlines recently added two daytime flights per week from London to Colombo, flying on Saturdays and Sundays, providing better connections and more convenient departure times. This now makes the airline even more attractive to passengers looking for one-stop carriers between London and the Maldives, Sri…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Top 10 Liveries of 2014
It’s that time again, and the judges have voted for their Top 10 Liveries for 2014. Each year the judges sort through the best of the best to find out what is hitting the mark. This year some familiar faces return, and some get booted out of the top 10, and there are even a…
Read MoreTrip Report: British Airways 787-9 First Class January 2016
Flight: BA073 Aircraft Type: B787-9 Class: ‘First’ First Class Route: LHR-AUH-MCT Date: January 2016 http://www.ba.com We were curious last year to see how British Airways new First product on their 787-9 were going to reinvent the first class experience, but when we had the chance to experience the product first-hand (forgive the pun) we jumped at the chance to see why…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Top 10 Liveries Of 2013
Here at TheDesignAir, our team of expert judges have looked at the liveries around the world this year and have come up with our Top 10 liveries for 2013. Whilst we have some great looking airlines from last year’s Top 10 still appearing in the list this year, there are some great new liveries that are…
Read MoreSmile! It’s Thai Smile Time
Thai Airways have launched their new subsidiary Thai Smile this week, the new ‘pseudo’ low cost wing of Thai Airways following a mantra of “Trendy-Friendly-Worthy”. Commencing operations on July 1st, they will be operating a fleet of 4 A320’s. This new airline will focus on short haul destinations from Bangkok to Asia and India. This…
Read MoreNo, It’s Not Jetstar And It’s Not AirBerlin, It’s “rouge”
You might mistakenly thought the image here was of an AirBerlin aircraft, due to it’s pretty ‘samey’ appearance, but this is Air Canada‘s New Leisure Brand “rouge” (no, not a lipstick) very similar in concept to Qantas’ JetStar, launching from Toronto (and Montreal) mid 2013. Whilst this name might have taken most aviation buffs as a surprise,…
Read MorePassenger Choice Award Winners 2012
No real surprises that Virgin America sweeped the board, hosted in their home state, at the Passenger Choice Awards 2012 yesterday in Long Beach California (September 17th), pulling in a whopping 4 awards, encompassing Overall Passenger Experience (Up to 50 IFE equipped in fleet), Best in Region (Americas), Best User Interface and Best Cabin Ambiance.…
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Since founding thedesignair.net in 2012, Jonny Clark has collaborated with magazines and websites around the world, and has become a recognised source of opinion in the airline industry. thedesignair.net continues to grow, partnering and consulting with some of the most prestigious brands around the world, whilst still maintaining an easy-to-digest design-led website based around airline…
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