If you’ve been in Turkish Airlines‘ business class lounge in Istanbul over the past few days, then you might be forgiven for thinking that Batman had parked one of is many vehicles in the lounge. However, this futuristic new machine, dubbed ‘Hezarfen’ is actually a flight simulator with a difference. Combining modern technology with inspiration…
Read MoreTrip Report: Turkish Airlines’ A350 Business Class
Flight: TK193Aircraft Type: A350-900Class: Business ClassRoute: IST-GRUDate: October 2021 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines has continued to operate throughout the pandemic. In fact, it’s been one of the largest international carriers in Europe for the past 18 months. However, the pandemic also saw the full launch of its A350 operations, which headed to destinations such as Manila, Jakarta and Sao Paulo, meaning…
Read MoreTurkish Airlines opts for stylish new amenity kits with greater links to Turkish culture
Turkish Airlines has once again renewed its collaboration with one of the country’s most distinguished painters, Devrim Erbil. The artist’s work will be found on the carrier’s short-haul Business Class amenity kits for short-haul flights produced by Galileo Watermark. Erbil, one of the most important living representatives of Turkish contemporary art, is deeply influenced by…
Read MoreCongratulations to TheDesignAir Award Winners, 2023
Today we are pleased to announce TheDesignAir’s 11th annual award winners, as we celebrate the very best in aviation design, brand, and passenger experience around the world. Every year we see airlines across the globe continue to advance the passenger experience in the air and on the ground. There has been a new wave of…
Read MoreKuwait Airways reveals upgrades to brand image, including new uniforms
Kuwait Airways has recently announced a wave of enhancements across its passenger fleet on the A330-900neos as well as new uniforms, new routes and improvements to its lounge offering in Kuwait. While many of the improvements will only been see by a few travelling on the airline in the near future, one element will be…
Read MoreCongratulations to TheDesignAir Award Winners, 2022
It’s with great pleasure TheDesignAir’s 10th annual award winners have been announced today, celebrating the very best in aviation design, brand and passenger experience from across the globe. We’re thrilled to see airlines once again investing in passenger experience and brand, and there have been many excellent entrants and shortlisted entries this year. We’re thrilled…
Read MoreFive airline lounge trends we hope to see in 2024
As we emerge into 2024 and airlines continue their post-pandemic growth with record profits seen by many, the race to invest into the passenger experience begins. While cabin programs can take several years to manifest, the quickest and easiest way to win over market share for the lucrative business class segment, is to reimagine the…
Read MoreHottest Design Airlines to Try in 2023
This is the TheDesignAir’s hottest Design Airlines to try in 2023. Whether you fly regularly or are saving up for that once in a lifetime trip, here’s our recommendation for airlines, big and small, that bring a bit of style to the skies, but which have you flown and which are you wanting to try?…
Read MoreHot Airport Hotel: YOTELAIR Istanbul
Situated in the heart of Istanbul International Airport is a little secret that perhaps everyone should know about. Thanks to Istanbul’s virtually exhaustive list of destinations, it might be that your connecting flight is more than just a few hours away. If you aren’t lucky enough to enjoy an airport lounge, or Turkish Airlines’ connection…
Read MoreTheDesignAir 2021 Award Winners Announced
After a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the return of its annual Airline Design awards. Celebrating the very best in airline passenger experience, brand and design across the globe, the awards – now in its 9th year – have once again bestowed its leading design airlines, new products and…
Read MoreTen stories we loved in 2021
As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of our most popular stories on the site this year, as well a few of our own favourites too. Do let us know what were your own personal highlights too, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s to another exciting year in…
Read MoreLounging Around: Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge, Istanbul
If you haven’t travelled through Istanbul’s newest behemoth airport yet, you’re certainly in for a surprise. It certainly dwarves the previous airport and it couldn’t be more different. Light, airy and architecturally stunning, it’s a true gateway hub for the region and has set a standard for global airports for the next decade to come.…
Read More7 emerging passenger experience trends to watch out for
We’re currently in an era of rebounded passenger volumes, overwhelming profit margins, and seemingly sustained growth in virtually all aspects of the aviation industry. While much of that profit has been realised by heavily streamlined operations post-COVID, it’s also been due to pared back passenger experiences over the past 12 months, with many airlines only…
Read MoreDon’t forget your little VIPs. How Etihad is improving travel for children
It’s easier for designers to build passenger experiences for adults. It’s the core design language that makes up a brand and airline passenger experience. After all, we can all relate to how the design created will affect us. However, designers often forget children, which still make up a noticeable percentage of airline travellers. There are…
Read MoreTrip Report: Turkish Airlines B787-9 Business Class September 2019
Flight: TK67 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class Route: DPS-IST Date: September 2019 http://www.turkishairlines.com It’s not a secret that Turkish Airlines has one of the best soft products in the sky. From our previous reports, we’ve always been impressed with the food & drink, amenities and IFE system onboard their aircraft, but the B777 and A330 hard products in business…
Read MoreTrip Report: Austrian Airlines B777-200 Business Class, November 2023
I’ve been wanting to try Austrian Airlines Business Class for some time now. The airline has been on my radar as a lesser-known carrier of the Lufthansa Group, but after hearing such good things about the airline, it was time to take the plunge on a transatlantic flight I had to take from London to…
Read MoreHow Turkish Airlines Latest Safety Video Reflects Airlines’ Need To Showcase Networks
Turkish Airlines’ latest safety video might have been released a few months ago, but it has already amassed over 9million views on YouTube. The safety video, which features the Lego Movie characters in a sequel to the airline’s initial safety video last year. While the video is still as captivating as the initial incarnation, featuring…
Read MoreTurkish Airlines’ Reveals Sneak Peek Of Its 787-9 Interiors
Turkish Airlines’ first 787-9 aircraft will arrive in just a matter of days at the airline’s new Istanbul hub. The aircraft is not only a new member of the fleet made up of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, but also features brand new interior products, brought to life by London based studio Priestmangoode. Revealed on twitter,…
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 MoreCould tactile, textured finishes be an emerging trend post-COVID?
It’s long been established in scientific fields that memories, emotions, and senses are all tied together. The same region of the brain that processes the five senses is also partly responsible for storing emotional memories. In the airline field, that means passengers are more likely to remember and build brand memories that tie in all five senses…
Read MoreUganda Airlines proves aircraft interiors don’t just have to come in shades of blue
Uganda Airlines might not be on everyones radar. But that’s because until last week, the carrier just operated a modest fleet of four Bombardier CRJ900’s. Resurrected from its predecessor that last flew in 2001, the latest incarnation spread its wings a little over a year ago, but seemingly has big plans. With aircraft bought by…
Read MoreAccess all areas. Factorydesign creates show-stopping hybrid all-aisle-access business class seat for narrow bodies
Hot on the heels of its Vantage Solo design (now being manufactured by Thompson Aero Seating), London-based Factorydesign has revealed details about its mid-market hybrid business class seat for narrow body long-haul aircraft. Trying to navigate the economics and ergonomics of a premium product on a narrow body aircraft proves one of the most difficult…
Read MoreTheDesignAir round-up: 10 things we’ve loved in 2019
2019 has seen yet another year of great innovation, new products, new airlines, new lounges and new airport facilities across the globe. It just goes to show how quickly the industry continues to evolve and respond to the ever-increasing needs of an airline passenger. Just before this year, or even this decade, comes to a…
Read MoreAnnouncing the winners of TheDesignAir awards 2019
TheDesignAir is thrilled to announce the 2019 award winners as voted for by our esteemed judging panel and our readers. Year after year, we see more improvements and enhancements across the passenger experience, from narrow to wide bodies to lounges and airports around the globe. We showcase the 2019 winners here.
Read MoreOpinion: Could Etihad become the Queen of Boutique Carriers post-pandemic?
We’ve been drowning in a sea of short-term hygiene messages across the last year as airlines have rapidly ‘masked up’ in order to win over what little passenger volume there has been. Today’s passengers have been assaulted by marketing imagery of planes being scrubbed within an inch of their life, crew in body suits and…
Read MoreLATAM’s new South American narrow body ‘Premium Economy’ is everyone else’s Business Class, and we love them for it…
If you’ve ever travelled within Europe (excluding on Turkish Airlines) you’ve probably flown what is dubbed Euro Business. It’s a fairly simple concept of the first few rows of an otherwise fairly normal narrow-body jet becoming the carrier’s Business Class, which comes with all the bells and whistles of a Business Class ticket, including priority…
Read MoreCan Star Ratings Of Airlines Be Trusted?
In a world where everyone can now easily become a critic, navigating our way through the vast swathes of reviews can be daunting. After all, human nature dictates we will only ever comment on something exceptional. This is why ‘average’ reviews are rarely seen, with either excellent or scathing comments usually posted. Airlines are subject…
Read MoreEmirates finally reveals Premium Economy product and upgrades to the A380. But is it a sheep in wolf’s clothing?
Emirates is one of the last bastions of the A380. Thanks to its critical mass of the product, once vaccines take hold and confidence in travel returns, the airline will be well poised to offer luxury travel to the masses once again. The carrier already has an arsenal at its ready to help position itself…
Read MoreSkyTeam opens new branded lounge in Istanbul
SkyTeam has officially opened the doors to its seventh branded lounge with its signature distinct style including bright lively colours and never-ending curved features. Located in Istanbul’s new airport (IST), the facility is served by seven alliance members: Aeroflot, Air France, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia and TAROM. The lounge features a statement…
Read MoreRoll Over Alitalia… Turkish Airlines Positions Itself As Europe’s Stylish Fashionista
Turkish Airlines continues to impress us. We are experiencing a new dawn at the airline, which already carries well over 65million passengers per annum. Today saw the reveal of the airline’s new uniform which replaces the somewhat-dated previous threads which were sadly never going to turn heads. Instead this new collection from Milan-based Haute Couturier Ettore…
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