Thompson Aero Seating have recently added another seat design to its famous and well-established Vantage range. Based on an original concept from Factorydesign, the seat was designed specifically for the single-aisle market, the new seat. Called the Vantage Solo, manages to provide all-aisle access fully-flat beds at a competitive 33″ seat pitch. The seat uses…
Read MoreFollowing the latest trend of airlines taking their safety videos outside of the airline cabin, Singapore Airlines has unveiled its new version, which takes viewers on a panoramic journey across various locations in Singapore. This trend acts as a postcard, enticing people to stay and explore a city often used as a stop-over on…
Read MorePhilippine Airlines‘ plan to create a 5-star airline have taken a huge leap forward this week, with the announcement that they will convert the cabin lay-out of eight economy-only A330-300s to include brand new Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy class cabins. PAL is one of a few Asian carriers who have been stuck in the middle…
Read MoreHawaiian Airlines and Disney yesterday unveiled the first of three custom Airbus A330 aircraft being adorned with imagery from the animated comedy adventure “Moana” coming to the screens in November. The first of the three decal designs features four Disney characters from the movie on Hawaiian’s fuselage as they take off on a ‘way finding journey’, including the demigod Maui,…
Read MoreThe Olympics may now be over, but there’s still good reason to travel to Rio. Tom Jobim International Airport will now play host to three Plaza Premium Lounges in South Pier and Car Park Building of Terminal 2, welcoming all travellers regardless of their airline or travel class with a total of 570 comfortable seats. Plaza Premium…
Read MoreIt just keeps getting better. Hawaiian Airlines has partnered once again with Pow! Wow! to create a brand new mobile masterpiece that can be seen driving around Honolulu Airport, delivering catering to the airline’s fleet of aircraft. To continue the airline’s support of local and International artists, the airline commissioned Hawai’i and Japan’s top street artists…
Read More2015 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…
Read MoreAzul Brazilian Airlines, arguably the most modern of the Brazilian carriers, launched their new A330 cabins this October, including Azul Xtra (a fully fledged business class cabin), Economy Xtra (including the infamous Sky Sofa product) and their standard Economy cabin. Now flying to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale (Miami) from Sao Paulo’s Viracopos airport, Azul’s A330s will eventually…
Read MoreThings have changed in our Top 10! Every month, our esteemed judge panel—which consists of industry experts, frequent travelers, industry analysts and aviation enthusiasts—votes its Top 10 airlines by measuring different elements such as Best Liveries, Business Classes, and so on. This month, we’ve announced our annual Passenger Choice awards. TheDesignAir asked the public to vote for their favorite airline brand, and the results are…
Read MoreThis month we cover 2015’s Top 10 Premium Economy Classes. Investing more into their new mid-cabin classes, airlines are fighting to offer passengers extra elements to lift the experience—on the ground and in the air. With Singapore Airlines entering the fray this year, the list is open to change as we continue to review the world’s very best Premium Economy Classes.…
Read MoreVirgin Australia have released some very basic images of a new premium economy seat product which will be unveiled on their 777 later on this year. Whist the actual hard product is still under wraps, the actual statistics are what are a little more interesting. The airline has increased its seat pitch to a generous…
Read MoreFinally! We are getting a brand new Clubhouse in Los Angeles Terminal 2. First suggested back in 2012 by TheDesignAir, the moving of the Air New Zealand lounge from LAX’s T2 which Virgin Atlantic used to use across to the TBIT terminal, left passengers in a bit of a quandary. However, the airline announced this week…
Read MoreThis month we are turning our eyes to the outside of the aircraft. Usually bright and colorful, these calling cards fill international airports with a myriad of designs. A livery, if designed correctly, can convey the brand experience that takes place inside. Each year, our judges (including some new faces) sort through the best of the best to find out what is hitting the mark and ticking the right…
Read MoreWe are pleased to announce our Top 10 economy classes for 2015. The last 18 months have changed the landscape for economy class travel, with passengers around the world benefiting from new aircraft, new products and increased inflight entertainment options. While there are some new entrants into our list this year, the competition was tougher than ever, due to an increasingly…
Read MoreThis month TheDesignAir takes a look at everything that airlines should be. Airlines we want to travel with, and are going above and beyond to create something truly unique in the sky. Our judges have voted and, interestingly, our top 10 all fit within just a 6 percent margin, and, yet again, we haven’t been able to just fit in 10…
Read MoreLondon based JPA Design has had a long working history with Singapore Airlines, starting back in 1998 when they first launched the 747 first class suite. Since then the creative studio has tackled a variety of cabin designs for one of the world’s leading airlines, including the 777 and first ever production business class seat for SIA’s A380.…
Read MoreTo celebrate Hawaiian Airlines’ second anniversary of service to Auckland, the acclaimed New Zealand artist duo “BMD” traveled to Honolulu to create a piece of artwork on the carrier’s ground service equipment, illustrating the cultural similarities and differences of both regions. In the spirit of transitory street art, the catering vehicle that was selected was…
Read MoreYou may have seen Air Astana stealing a few column inches in the news recently, due to its introduction of the ‘Air Astana Economy Sleeper’ service on their 757s. The new seat allows passengers to stretch out and enjoy three seats to themselves on selected international flights. The new product started on flights between Astana and London Heathrow, Frankfurt…
Read MoreA recent article on CNBC and the Daily Mail has highlighted how Saudia is considering segregating male and female passengers onboard its planes. Whilst we take this story with a pinch of salt, it does highlight how design onboard can either aid or hinder an airline’s core requirements. Whilst the laws have allegedly come in…
Read MoreFlight: CI791 Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Economy Class (Family Couch Seats) Route: TPE-HAN Date: November 2014 http://www.china-airlines.com Best for: Affordable customisable luxury at an economy class price tag. Most likely to sit next to: Savvy cool Trans-pacific travellers Business or pleasure: This airline is built for business. Great schedules, frequent services, good connections and wifi onboard, means for a logical choice for those…
Read MoreA little while ago, we announced China Airlines plans for their Next Generation 777-300ER, and spoke about the radical industry leading product they wanted to create. Last week the airline received their brand new 777-300ER, and we now take a closer look at the final product. We have to admit, we are blown away by…
Read MoreThis 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…
Read MoreIt’s that time again, and the judges have voted for their Top 10 Liveries for 2014. Each year the judges sort through the best of the best to find out what is hitting the mark. This year some familiar faces return, and some get booted out of the top 10, and there are even a…
Read MoreOur 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…
Read MoreWhat can you do if you had 5 days, 12 painters and 350 litres of paint. Well, if you are Air New Zealand you could paint your new 787-9 in an ‘All Black’ paint job. Our favourite of the airline’s two new livery designs, this black beauty is well proportioned and striking to look at, With…
Read MoreChina 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…
Read MoreKorean Air today released details (and just a couple of photos) of their brand new Business Class (Prestige) and First Class Lounge at Los Angeles’ TBIT Terminal. Not only is it accessible for passengers flying on the two A380 flights a day back to Incheon, but also to the twenty SkyTeam airlines (plus Emirates whilst their…
Read MoreFlight: HA09 Aircraft Type: A330-200 Class: Economy (Extra legroom) Route: LAX-HNL Date: February 2014 http://www.hawaiianair.com Best for: Those wanting to start their Hawaiian holiday off with a little extra everything. Most likely to sit next to: With the mini cabin-extra legroom seats, savvy travellers who have done this trip before and know what an extra few inches can do. Business or pleasure: Business?…
Read MoreLufthansa 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…
Read MoreWe 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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