The Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew for the first time yesterday in Seattle as the aircraft manufacturer makes its final stretch to get the aircraft program into the skies. The 737 MAX program achieved this milestone on schedule which begins a comprehensive flight-test program leading to certification and delivery. The aircraft is the first to utilise the latest…
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Today, JetBlue showed off the first renderings of their restyled cabin which “will enhance the JetBlue experience to meet the needs of travellers today”, including a greater focus on connectivity, comfort, and space. This marks JetBlue’s first complete redesign of the interiors on its A320 fleet since it launched in 2000 and the differences, while perhaps…
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Even to a seasoned 737-800 Senior First Officer who has done their countless number of walk-arounds, the game of spot the difference is still mighty hard with the 737 MAX 8 which was rolled out today (December 8th) in Renton, Washingston State, USA. If you click on the image above, you’ll notice the variety of tail fins…
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British Airways have never been shy of embracing new technology. They were the first airline to create a digital app back in 2008. That year, some 118,000 added it to their device and in 2015, it has topped the five million mark. During the last seven years the airline has updated their app with new functionality 32 times,…
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Alitalia today announced their latest wave of improvements to the passenger experience. Guests on all Alitalia flights can now use their phone to check emails or send text messages immediately after their flight has landed, while the aircraft is taxiing to the terminal. A new “Gate to Gate” procedure to allow the use of personal electronic devices has…
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Emirates last week announced that all new 777-300ER and A380 deliveries will be outfitted with enhanced IFE screens and technology, allowing passengers to flick through a massive 4,300 hours of entertainment. That is virtually half a year non-stop of watching a TV, meaning it is practically impossible to watch the whole entertainment offering, even if…
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Move over Emirates and Panama City, there’s a new ultra-long-haul flight on the horizon. Announced yesterday, Singapore Airlines has signed an agreement to be the launch customer for a new ultra-long-range variant of the Airbus A350 aircraft, enabling the resumption of non-stop flights between Singapore and the United States replacing the carrier’s older A340-500 services that…
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Domestic travel in the US is really heating up now, with a new wave of interiors just launched by United. Starting with the A319 next week, the new interior will be rolled out on A319s, A320s, 737s and 757s throughout 2016. The new interiors are custom created for the airline as it pushes hard to…
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Those of you who have flown on Qantas, may be familiar with their fairly hefty inflight magazine Australian Way. Whilst this may be a meaty enough read for most of their domestic flights, what if you have to Kangaroo hop your way to The States or Europe? Well, now there is good news. If you…
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Hawaiian Airlines has officially launched a beta of their new website, currently accessible to their HawaiianMiles members. The site will be rolling out in phases, with a full launch is expected later this summer. This is a complete revamp of a site that wasn’t terrible, but had gone through a few skins of what was fundamentally the same website. The…
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It’s always good to see a new herringbone seat enter the market, and yet most passengers may not even know the array of seats on offer. The wealth of herringbone seat designs have a myriad of differences. Designed by London based JPA Design and Jamco, these brand new seat designs (first seen at AIX in Hamburg this…
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No, these aren’t designer office pieces of furniture, they are the latest premium economy seats by Acro Aircraft Seating, designed by UK based Factorydesign. Conceived with the future demands of airliners in mind, these ergonomic beauties have embraced the simple fact that comfort should be found in the spaces between the seats. One of the many ‘diamond patterned’…
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Here at TheDesignAir, we love a good app. Qantas recently announced their introduction of their new Apple Watch App, weeks before the must-have travel accessory goes on sale worldwide. Using the app, customers will receive notifications telling them of gate changes, what carousel from which to collect their baggage and up-to-the-minute information of their journey. Qantas Executive Manager…
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Just recently, Skytrax rated Singapore Changi as the World’s Best Airport, for the third year running. Changi Airport celebrated further success at the Awards, unsurprisingly receiving the award as ‘Best Airport for Leisure Amenities’. These leisure amenities include music bar lounges, cinemas, a music deck, swimming pool, napping and rest areas and the in-terminal Transit…
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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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