Just when we thought we were going to give up on hoping for a less cramped 787 economy cabin, JAL come along and show us that passengers should be treated to extra space, in every cabin. ANA did offer a 2 x 4 x 2 seating configuration in their 787s but that has been phased…
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This will be very welcome news to the majority of British Airways travellers, who travel with the airline’s real backbone of the fleet, on their 747s. The Queen of the Skies has been around for years, and is still one of the most popular aircraft for long haul travellers, but with the advent of the newer…
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Royal Jordanian, famous for their striking charcoal coloured livery, have recently received the first of their 787s, in a thedesignair.net exclusive, we reveal the images in full high resolution for you to salivate over. What is evident, from entering the aircraft is the sense of space. Royal Jordanian have been one of the first carriers…
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So it isn’t often we think ourselves as that awkward L-shaped brick from classic computer game Tetris, but fundamentally that’s how aircraft seat designers see us. Unfortunately-shaped wedges that have to fit neatly into a rectangular shape. In a constant fight to give airline passengers more space, more comfort and a better quality experience, the…
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Originally launched on the Haneda – Fukuoka route back in May, JAL have revamped their domestic cabins on their 777s to offer luxurious comfort to its guests. Since then the ball has started rolling to retrofit 77 aircraft, as the new cabin, dubbed ‘Sky Next’ finds its way to new destinations on the JAL network. Recently,…
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Our friends at Finnair have just announced the new interiors for their A350 fleet which will come into service mid 2015. The A350, which has been in the shadow of their newer cousin, the A330 Neo as of late, now can sit proud about the product they can offer onboard, thanks in part due to Finnish ‘Designer’ airline…
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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…
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We haven’t covered much on Aer Lingus before, the carrier has pretty much kept a low-key approach to operations, offering angle-flat business class and fairly standard economy products. Not to say that’s bad, far from it, just not nescessarily ground breaking. It seems that’s all about to change, and the Irish carrier is now a…
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Read Part 1 here | Read Part 2 here | Read Part 3 here Part 4 | Economy. “Amazing! It’s like being on the Orient Express” I instinctively say when seeing the designs for the Economy Smartseat of Etihad’s new fleet. My interviewees all smile at that comment. I guess that must be called ‘hitting…
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Farnborough has already brought us our first bit of exciting design news – and we like what we see when it comes to Embraer’s E2! The new single aisle cabin designed by world-renowned design studio Priestmangoode for Embraer was unveiled today with a full size mock up at the world famous air show. The designs…
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Please read our first installment of our four part series here and second instalment here. Part 3 | Business Class. It’s possibly one of the hardest cabins to design. Customer expectations are high, margins are low and space is at a premium. Now with the advent of premium economy and the still-standing First Class sandwiching the most popular of premium cabins,…
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Fiji Airways recently celebrated the arrival of their first ATR ‘Fiji Link‘ aircraft. The latest piece in the Fiji Airways metaphorical brand-jigsaw. Along with this are new uniforms for Fiji Link, which are more bright and colourful and in keeping with the spirit of the archeipeligo of the Fiji Islands. However, today they announced the…
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Please read our first installment of our four part series here . Part 2 | Days after visiting Honour, I head on over to Acumen, another member of the EDC. Situated just around the corner in Clerkenwell, Acumen are also settling into their new offices, the epitome of London creativity, a bright and well-designed space that…
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British Airways have just released images of their brand new interiors for their short haul fleet. The airline it has announced it will be refitting 95 (not all) of its short haul fleet with these slick new contemporary designs, which fit closer in-line to their long haul fleet offering. The new cabins will be available…
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Every designer’s idea of sheer panic is a blank sheet of paper. Imagine if this was given to you in the form of a completely empty A380 shell, and you were asked to create purely original ideas to fill it to the brim. It’s this blank piece of ‘metaphorical’ paper that was given to the…
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SAS, excitingly, have announced a brand new cabin concept for their long haul aircraft. Featuring business class, premium economy and economy classes, the new cabin and seat designs leap the airline into 2014 with a loud bang. Competing against carriers such as Finnair who have already pushed their airline forward with new designed cabins, SAS…
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We weren’t fully sure what to think of Asiana’s new A380 interior when we saw their presentation, however, secretly, the big kid inside us absolutely loves what they are doing. It’s like a Disney World of the skies for all ages, but more on that in a second. Firstly, lets take a look at the…
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Our TheDesignAir Top 10 lists have undergone a revamp in 2014, and to aid transparency, our top 10 airlines will now have their rating out of 100 shown, as voted for and calculated by our judging panel. This month we cover our top 10 premium economy classes. With airlines investing more into their new mid-cabin classes, competition is…
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Air France today launched its new first class (La Premiere) cabin, found on its 777-300 fleet, titled ‘A Designer Suite’. With only 4 suites available onboard, the airline has decided to reduce the cabin size, and make the whole experience a little more ‘intimate’ and special – now offering 3 square meters of space per…
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Back in late February China Southern took delivery of its first 777-300ER. In March 2014 it started flying to Shanghai from Guangzhou and now is commencing flights to NYC. The new aircraft features the latest cabin designs for the carrier which in our estimation has lifted the carrier to a world class competitor. With a…
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Today (May 4th 2014) Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled the world’s first private multi-room cabin on a commercial passenger aircraft. The Residence will unbelievably feature a living room, double bedroom, separate ensuite shower room, and for the first time in the airline industry, a dedicated, trained Butler. We…
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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled the new product and service offering on its Airbus A380 and Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft, including The Residence by Etihad, definitely the world’s most luxurious living space in the air, available only on the airline’s A380 aircraft. The new interiors have been designed…
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With the recent arrival (end of last year) of its first Boeing 787 up to a total of 19, Aeromexico become the first airline in Mexico and the number 14th around the world to operate the aircraft. Aeromexico are proud of their 787, which will now operate on the flagship London Heathrow route. With the new arrival…
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Revealed at Hamburg’s Aircraft Interiors Expo this year, American showcase their new interiors for the current 777-200 fleet, designed to match the new look 777-300 aircraft already flying with the airline. The retrofit is scheduled to commence later this year. There are a few changes though, especially with a new look customised business class seat, which whilst close…
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Sometimes we come across a beautiful redesign that really is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the industry, and this small airline in North Eastern Canada is by far a small diamond in the rough. Where some airlines with a small regional network can wisely invest into making sure their ageing fleet is…
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China Airlines, once the quieter of the Asian airline fraternity, has decided 2014 is the year it comes out and shows the world what it is made of. The airline, whose mainline long haul fleet currently features older 747’s and A340’s and newer A330s, has placed orders for brand new modern 777s and A350s, which…
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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…
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LATAM have just exclusively announced a brand new look for their short haul and long haul cabins, being rolled out on their Airbus A320 family aircraft and new 787-9 and A350 fleet. This is the first real sign of unification between the two airlines, who have been working together since 2012. Conceived by Priestmangoode, the new domestic…
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Finnair, one of Scandinavia’s biggest carriers, celebrated it’s 90th anniversary of flights yesterday. On March 20th 1924, the airline operated a Junkers F.13 float plane from Helsinki to Tallin, Estonia. Since then, the airline has grown to an airline carrying just under 10 million passengers a year, with a fleet of 44 jet aircraft, to four of…
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We all love a fashion show, and whilst this may not be the first airline to run a fashion show in the sky (we think Sky Europe were the first to do that in the modern Era), it certainly is the first to do a retrospective of their uniforms through the years. This was part…
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