Cathay Pacific Open StudioIlse Vancouver Lounge

Cathay Pacific has unveiled it’s latest lounge in Vancouver International Airport. Opened two days ago, the lounge is located in the International Terminal, between departure gates D66 and D67. This is the latest in a line of new lounges for the carrier, following the iconic design template which has already been rolled out in Cathay Pacific lounges…

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SkyTeam Launch Latest Designer Lounge In Dubai

This week saw the official opening of their latest designer lounge in Terminal 1 of Dubai International Airport, the first for SkyTeam in the Gulf region. Catering to Elite Plus, First and Business Class passengers of the ten SkyTeam airlines flying to the airport. The new space spans over 960 square metres and can seat up…

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Cathay’s New Heathrow Lounge Will Feature Separate First and Business Class Spaces

In our exclusive interview with designer Ilse Crawford from StudioIlse, we reveal that the new London Heathrow Lounge will be the first redesigned lounge to feature both First Class and Business Class areas for passengers. The designer is the same creative force behind the new wave of Cathay Pacific lounges, including the Pier First Class Lounge and new…

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British Airways Update T5A Galleries Lounge

British Airways have just refurbished the Club World Galleries South lounge in T5A, just a couple of weeks after they refurbished their First Lounge in T5. A new furniture layout has been created in the lounge to enhance individual seating and increase privacy through the use of screens and high backed chairs. As part of…

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New 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…

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Qantas To Launch New London Heathrow Lounge

London seems to be gaining a lot of new lounges this year, with OneWorld carriers Cathay Pacific and Qantas both giving a facelift to their ground operations. The Australia carrier announced last week that the next location for its flagship global lounge will be at Heathrow airport with construction to begin in September 2016. While T3 in…

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American Airlines Invests In Refreshed Lounges With Table Service Dining

Most people may not know, but the first Airline lounge was actually created by American Airlines back in 1939. Since then, lounges have come full circle to be some of the most opulent and premium branded spaces around the world. It’s no surprise then that the founder of the airside lounge has decided to invest…

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British Airways Updates First Class Lounge At Heathrow

British Airways today announced the refurbishment to the airline’s First lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 eligible to First customers and Gold Executive Club members. The announcement comes just weeks after the announcement of their new Singapore lounge design. The new interiors will include “new contemporary and stylish furniture throughout the lounge, plush new carpets, re-sanded, waxed…

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British Airways To Fly From Four Major London Airports

British Airways this week announced they will start flying from Stansted to four sunshine routes starting May 28th. This will be the fourth major London airport the carrier will fly from, including Heathrow and Gatwick and London City, leaving only London Luton currently unserved by the carrier. The airlines latest route network, operated by BA Cityflyer’s…

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SWISS Launch New Lounges And Show Off New 777

SWISS 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…

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XiamenAir Open New Flagship Lounge In Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport Terminal 3

Just last week, XiamenAir, a SkyTeam member, opened up its new ‘Flagship’ lounge in Xiamen Airport Terminal 3, for its premium customers, in a bid to become another formidable international player in the Chinese market. The new designer led lounge follows the recent international expansion plans, including the upcoming Cebu, Melbourne and Vancouver routes for…

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Air Canada Add New Toronto Business Class Check-In Area As Latest In Wave Of Improvements

Air Canada last week opened a new Business Class check-in area in Toronto Pearson for their Business Class, Premium Economy, Premium Rouge and Alititude top tier fliers as well as gold members of Star Alliance. The area has been designed to offer a more relaxed environment for their premium passengers to check-in, including lounge seating,…

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Avianca Launch New Miami Lounge

Avianca this week announced the latest opening of their new lounge concept in Miami International Airport. Located in Terminal J near boarding gate 12B, the lounge offers its services to LifeMiles Élite Gold and Diamond members as well as Star Alliance Gold, Priority Pass cardholders or Business Class travelers and their guest. This is the 16th lounge…

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Istanbul New Airport To Receive Beautiful Pininfarina & Aecom Control Tower

İGA, the consortium building Istanbul’s New Airport, has chosen an innovative and stunning design by AECOM and Pininfarina as the winner of an international design competition for the regional Air Traffic Control tower and technical building. The breathtaking AECOM and Pininfarina collaboration was chosen from a total of six entries from international architectural teams, including…

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Air France And CDG Impress As Europe’s Largest Transit Hub

Charles De Gaulle used to send shivers down our spine. The thought of transiting through the airport meant getting lost, missing connections or surly staff seemingly specifically employed to disrupt a passengers day. This reason alone meant we had avoided Paris as a connection airport for many years, however we’ve been totally bowled over by…

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The Best Of The Best In 2015 – TheDesignAir’s Round-up Of The Year

2015 has been an impressive year with many carriers taking advantage of the lowered oil prices to invest heavily into their passenger experience both on the ground and in the air. We take a look at the best carriers around the world that have caught our attention this year. We offer a retrospective of the…

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Etihad Opens New Lounge in New York JFK

On Wednesday, James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways officially opened the airline’s First and Business Class Lounge at JFK International Airport. Following Washington D.C. the new lounge is the second in the United States to join the airline’s collection of premium lounges offered worldwide for its guests. The new space is designed by…

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Plaza Premium Partner With China Eastern To Create New No.77 Lounge In Shanghai

This month our favourite independent lounge company Plaza Premium launched a brand new lounge in Shanghai Pudong for China Eastern airlines. The world’s first co-branded spacious lounge, situated in Shanghai’s Terminal 2 features 1,800 square meters of space for passengers to relax before their flights. The lounge which can seat up to 500 guests in comfort,…

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Cathay Pacific Launch New Taipei Lounge And Introduce New Solo Chair

Cathay Pacific today opened the long awaited lounge for passengers travelling out of Taiwan Taoyuen International Airport. Located at Level 4 in the Departure Hall of Terminal 1, the newly renovated Taipei lounge adopts the airline’s new lounge design ethos that has already won praise from passengers in other key Cathay Pacific destinations within the region…

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Taipei Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 3 Contract Awarded

British architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) have won a competition to design the new Terminal 3 building at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The scheme will deliver a new terminal building, boarding gates, concourses and a multi-function building, along with transport infrastructure. The practice, working alongside Taiwan engineering firm CECI, saw off competition from Foster + Partners and…

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TheDesignAir’s Top 10 Best Aviation Product Releases For 2015

2015 has been an impressive year for the aviation industry, with many carriers pulling up their socks and vying for the all-elusive lucrative passenger. With oil-prices lower than before, airlines are snapping at the opportunity to revisit their products, launch new aircraft and impress their paying consumers. This means one thing, a better experience for…

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SkyTeam Lounge At Hong Kong International Opens In Partnership With China Airlines And China Eastern

This week saw the opening of SkyTeam’s latest beautiful lounge in Hong Kong International Airport. This is the latest major SkyTeam lounge opening since Sydney earlier this year. The ‘Exclusive’ Lounge is the result of a partnership between China Airlines and China Eastern airlines. It is SkyTeam’s first VIP Lounge in the Greater China region and the…

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British Airways Opens Latest Galleries Lounge in Singapore Designed By Graven

Changi Singapore has just welcomed a new lounge courtesy of design studio Graven. Housing the Concorde Lounge put together by Honour Branding that we covered earlier this month, this opening marks the eighth Lounge that Graven has designed for British Airways, in locations ranging from Edinburgh to Washington Dulles. Ross Hunter, Director at Graven said: “BA is one of…

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British Airways New Concorde Bar Opens In Singapore, Designed By Honour

Today marks the launch of British Airways‘ brand new Concorde Bar in Singapore Changi airport Terminal 1. This marks the first in a series of luxury British Airways Concorde lounges opening across the world, designed by London based brand experience company Honour. The bar, named after the carriers original supersonic flagship aircraft, is exclusively available for BA’s…

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Qantas Bring New Domestic Lounge To Perth

Domestic travellers from Perth can rejoice. Qantas has opened its doors to domestic passengers travelling from Western Australia with a brand new Qantas Domestic Business Lounge. Following the carriers latest design aesthetic, this bright and airy lounge offers 50% more lounge space than its predecessor. Seating 350 passengers, the spacious lounge is split into different…

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Etihad Launch New Abu Dhabi Lounge For T1

Great news, Etihad has just opened its fourth lounge in Abu Dhabi International airport. Situated in Terminal 1, this second, 1,044 square meter space will help give passengers a choice of space to relax, making the long walk to the lounge a thing of the past. Following the signature style found in their previous lounges, the space,…

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New Pay For ‘Aspire Lounge’ in London Heathrow T5

London has just received a new pay for lounge concept from Swissport and ALD. Competing against the likes of Plaza Premium Lounge within Heathrow’s fences, this new pay-as-you-go space is the first of its kind in Terminal 5, allowing BA and Iberia passengers in economy or without elite status to still enjoy a bit of pampering…

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JAL Refresh Osaka Lounge

Japanese carrier, JAL opened its newly-renovated Sakura lounge for international flights at Osaka (Kansai) Airport on July 21, 2015. Located near Gate 37, the updated facilities in Kansai Airport match new the design aesthetics found in JAL’s Tokyo Haneda Sakura lounge. The lounge follows the concept of “Modern Japanese Style” and is aiming to impart the message of…

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American Express ‘The Centurion’ Lounges Set To Impress

You may never have heard of these lounges, but they are pretty exclusive. However, all you need to enter, is an American Express card. Yesterday American Express announced they are expanding The Centurion Lounge network by opening its seventh location at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), terminal D. The 8,500 square foot Lounge is currently slated to…

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United Continue To Adapt With A Wave Of Improvements

United Airlines announced this week it was bringing new Global First and Business First amenity kits to the skies. Beginning Aug. 1, 2015, the airline will exclusively offer Soho House’s London based ‘Cowshed’ skin-care products onboard in newly redesigned amenity kits for premium-cabin customers on intercontinental flights. Also, a collection of Cowshed products will be available in many…

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