In a new wave of patent submissions, British Airways are perhaps going back on their original herringbone concept that they submitted last year. The patent, filed last year but only recently published, shows off a wave of innovative seating arrangements. Whilst most of the patent references the seating configuration rather than the seats themselves, there are…
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The future is here. Qantas has partnered with Samsung Electronics Australia to launch a futuristic trial entertainment service that uses Samsung virtual reality (VR) technology to give customers a spectacular three dimensional experience in a 360 degree style interactive format. Qantas’ clunky yet “Apple generation” stylish headsets will completely envelop customers in an immersive virtual world. Currently the entertainment features the sights and…
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2014 saw many app developers taking on the yet relatively unmastered art of streamlining airline travel. Taking a browse through the Apple app store recently, we decided to run a round up of smartphone apps, both new and old, that we have decided we can’t live without. Lounge Buddy We love this nifty app, especially…
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Yesterday, Qatar Airways revealed the interiors of its new A350 (and the first commercial version in the world) to the press in Qatar. The aircraft didn’t disappoint showcasing the extra large wide body in all its glory, offering 3 x 3 x 3 seating in economy without compromise on space, a first for a single…
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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…
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By Marisa Garcia | Engineers at Airbus’ A320 Family paint shop in Hamburg, Germany, just developed a unique methodology to radically improve the creative options available to airlines and brand managers by making it possible to directly print livery on the fuselage using inkjet printers–resulting in a faster and more efficient painting process which also allows…
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Sometimes when concepts come along at thedesignair.net we get excited, as they often push the boundaries of the ‘plain plane’ and give us reason to stop and re-evaluate what we consider as the standard experience for today. TEAGUE, with its 80 years of design history, teamed up with ultra-hi-tech Nike to look at the plane environment…
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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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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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This will please the avgeeks. Did it infuriate you as much as it did us, when onboard, we looked at the fleet information or route maps to find they were out of date, or the information wasn’t detailed enough? London based company Neutral have just announced their new software for airlines which will change the way…
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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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No surprises here; we love good design. And when Virgin America‘s current site was launched it was a nice refreshing change from the norm, however the ever-evolving look of the web meant it was only time until a redesign was on the cards. Instead of waiting for the site to look outdated, they decided to do a spring clean…
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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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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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Lufthansa have been working on a new premium economy product for the past few years and have just announced they are to be introduced into their long haul fleet. Seen globally as a huge success since the invention from Virgin Atlantic, in 1992, many airlines now offer a class between economy and business class, as…
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We are so happy to finally announce a brand spanking new video for Virgin Atlantic. One of the original pioneers in ‘cool and original’ safety videos, the British Airline has once again shown what it can do when it put its mind to it. Taking inspiration from iconic titles such as Brief Encounter and 2001, A…
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Qatar Airways has announced the launch of a new daily all premium Business Class service from its hub in Doha to London Heathrow today. Mirroring the product currently run by British Airways from London City Airport. The new service will be the first of its kind in the Middle East, commencing from 15 May 2014,…
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Co-written by Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com Hybrid low-cost carrier Skymark – Japan’s third largest airline – turned heads in early 2011 when it announced an order for six A380 superjumbo’s which will feature only 394 seats in a premium two-class configuration: 114 angled lie-flat Business seatss on the upper deck and 280 ‘shell-style’ Premium Economy seats on the lower deck. Skymark…
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The end of December 2013 marks an historic moment for Cathay Pacific Airways as it bids farewell to its Boeing 747-400s. Proud to have one of the youngest fleet in the world, the airline has announced that it will operate the fuel efficient and environmentally beneficial Boeing 777-300ER on all of its London flights in…
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Sister Airline to the award winning Cathay Pacific; Dragonair, the regional / medium-haul carrier has just announced its cabin offerings to lift the airline’s level of luxury. The most recent announcement is the launch of their First Class offering. If the seat looks familiar, that is because it is identical to Cathay Pacific’s new long-haul…
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A question I am constantly asked by Captains since I became a pilot was “Why the move from a creative industry to one that is so technical?” I always smile when I’m asked that question. I tell my flight deck companion to open their eyes and look outside. “You think there is no creativity, look…
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We love a bit of online viral marketing, and three airlines this week have really taken the internet by storm. If you have been living under a stone for the last few days, here’s a catch up for you to take your dinner party conversation to a whole new level. The three airlines in question…
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It’s fairly well considered that being ‘green’, no matter how it’s marketed isn’t really a sexy subject manner. However, our friends, Virgin Atlantic have actually made a step in the right direction in making the notion of being green a cool concept. Some interesting figures have just come out, whereby the airline has revealed that it…
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Air France has made a “Best&Beyond” promise to change it’s ways recently, shaking off some of the history it has steeped up over the years, and add a more contemporary ‘luxury’ feel to the airline. The French legacy carrier, like Lufthansa and British Airways, is fast becoming another bastion of European ‘luxury refined’ travel. Each…
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Emirates has always been a luxurious airline, and their first class is amongst one of the best in the skies, so no surprise that they have decided to include the award winning first class suite in their new executive jet. Many airlines have taken to providing an executive jet service, from Qatar Airways to Lufthansa,…
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We can’t recount how many times we’ve flicked the unlock screen on our phones waiting for a flight, hoping there’s a Facebook message or Twitter update that will keep us entertained. Now, thanks to the genius team at Seat 4A, we have an app that isn’t only slick and geeky, it’s super chic to boot.…
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Singapore Airlines has been the epitome of luxury for many years now. Many airlines look to the airline, not only for the product they have onboard, but the way that Singapore Airlines effortlessly conveys luxury and sophistication. Singapore Airlines has not failed to deliver on their latest incarnation of products which will replace the current fleets…
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“…and the killer is… [blank screen]” annoying when that happens isn’t it? Not any more! Virgin Atlantic today announced they have now switched on their inflight entertainment from gate to gate, meaning that a passenger can watch an estimated extra two hours per flight. Whilst other carriers around the world have already got this system…
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Here at DesignAir we’ve been a bit of a secret fan of Delta, as we have mentioned before, they are perhaps the most ‘European’ of all the carriers, with warm and friendly service, combined with a very decent hard product and good onboard menu, we’ve never had a bad flight with them. (Although we’ve heard…
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