It’s another month, another airline, another amenity kit. This time, Formia brought together a collaboration with Etro and Aeromexico, offering their business class passengers a stylish new kit bag filled with the usual perks befitting a premium passenger. “The style of Etro’s fashion lends itself perfectly to these amenity kits whose exterior is made of…
Read MorePlaza Premium To Open New Lounge in Helsinki
Helsinki is increasingly becoming a popular stopover for passengers between Europe and Asia. Dubbed the ‘fastest way to Asia’ Helsinki Airport benefits from a geographical advantage, meaning flights from Helsinki are much shorter than flying from other European capitals. Appealing to economy passengers who are less inclined to spend hours on end bolt-upright, Helsinki will…
Read MoreOpinion: Why the world needs innovative airlines like Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand
As the phrase goes, “good things come in small packages.” In 2018, the airline industry carried 4.4billion passengers. It has become an integral part of human life, but it’s also an industry of behemoth players. In fact, in 2018, the top 10 airline groups transported over one third of the entire annual traffic, leaving the…
Read MoreCathay Pacific Introduce ‘Betsy’ A Beer Designed For 35,000ft
Cathay Pacific may not be known as a distillery per-se, but the airline has rolled out its first beer, specially crafted for pressurised cabins. Named after “Betsy”, Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 which flew passengers around the region in the 1940s and 1950s, Betsy Beer will be first served to First and Business…
Read MoreTrip Report: Cathay Dragon A330-300 Business Class November 2017
Flight: KA361 Aircraft Type: A330-300 Class: Business Class Route: DPS-HKG Date: November 2017 http://www.cathapacific.com We are big fans of Cathay Pacific at TheDesignAir, that’s no real secret. We love the carriers ground product, with wealth of stylish lounges and super easy to navigate home base of Hong Kong International Airport, but Cathay Dragon, the now-aligned sister carrier always seemed in…
Read MoreBritish Airways New Business Class Suite Product Leaves Us Feeling Mixed Emotions
Unless you have been living under a rock today you will already have seen the new business class product for British Airways, dubbed the ‘Club Suite.’ The new suite brings a range of improvements to the passenger experience including all-aisle access, more storage, larger IFE screens and even doors, offering even more privacy, similar to…
Read MoreCathay Reveal New Signature ‘Calm In The Fast Lane’ Singapore Experience
When Changi Terminal 4 opens in just a few days time, Cathay Pacific will proudly take the title for the first scheduled flight from the terminal. The airline is proudly stating that the terminal will offer an innovative and seamless travel experience, in addition to a spectacular and spacious lounge which will be open for their…
Read MoreChef Agus Hermawan Joins Garuda Indonesia Star Chefs
September saw the launch of Garuda Indonesia’s high-quality signature dishes of Chef Agus Hermawan. For the next four months, on the non-stop route from Amsterdam to Jakarta, Executive Manager of Ron Gastrobar Indonesia – one of the 5 top restaurants of Master Chef Ron Blaauw – will star in the airline’s Business Class menus. Garuda Indonesia…
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic Latest Airline To Introduce Signature Scent
Fragrances aren’t new to airlines, in fact, probably more airlines than you think have found ways to freshen and brand their aircraft through yet another sense. Joining the likes of Cathay Pacific, Delta, Turkish and Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic has launched a signature scent called ‘Air.’ Collaborating with British scent designer and candle chandler Rachel…
Read More10 Great Flights To Take From London In 2018
Next year will see some exciting developments for passengers travelling to and from London, UK. With new routes, frequencies, upgraded aircraft and enhanced cabin products, London is getting the best of what the skies have to offer. Here is our low-down for the best trips you can take from London in 2018. Mahé, Seychelles Direct…
Read MoreChina Eastern New A350s And Shanghai Airlines 787s Feature Impressive New Business and ‘First’ Products
Both China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines are receiving new cabin products for their latest generation aircraft deliveries. Shanghai Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner arrived at the Hongqiao International Airport, delivered to China Eastern’s affiliated Shanghai Airlines to become the carrier’s 100th aircraft. The new aircraft will initially serve domestic routes between Shanghai and Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. After that,…
Read More10 Under 10. The Ten Small Airlines That You Really Should Get To Know In 2018
While many airlines in the world vie to be the biggest, there are a few smaller airlines that are certainly fighting to be the best. We take a look at 10 airlines under 10 million passengers per annum that are doing something special in 2018 that – we think – might just be worth getting…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Awards 2017 Winners Announced
TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the 2017 Award winners as voted for by our esteemed judging panel and our readers. This year has seen a wave of improvements around the world in the field of passenger experience. From impressive new aircraft, new First Class Suites to the smallest details found in tableware and amenity kits.…
Read MoreSkyTeam Launch New Vancouver Lounge
SkyTeam has officially opened its latest branded lounge at Vancouver International Airport. This marks SkyTeam’s first lounge in the Americas and seventh worldwide including Dubai, Hong Kong and Beijing. The new lounge, which features a similar design found in its companion lounges across the globe is “designed to offer SkyTeam customers a high-end, pre-flight experience and features a…
Read MoreThis Week American Airlines Completes 777 Business Class Retrofit
This week sees the last of American Airlines 47 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft to receive it’s retrofit. This means that the carrier can now boast lie-flat, aisle accessible seats in Business Class and International Wi-Fi on all 67 Boeing 777s in their fleet (which comprises 47 777-200ERs and 20 777-300ERs). The completion will be music to…
Read MoreFiji Airways’ Lounge Swap At LAX Bolsters Its Boutique Luxury Offering
Fiji Airways, like Hawaiian Airlines, is one of the true designer Pacific airlines and the perfect one-stop carrier to connect Australasia to the west coast of the US (or perhaps just for a luxury holiday in Fiji). We’ve been great champions of the brand since its brand refresh a few years ago, however, as we…
Read MoreOneworld Launches A Wave Of New Routes This Week
This week saw Cathay, Qantas and British Airways launch a wave of new flights, adding options and increasing the oneworld global network. British Airways has added to its Gatwick leisure network by introducing Toronto and re-establishing Las Vegas in direct competition to Virgin Atlantic’s city pair. This now means BA serves Las Vegas from both…
Read MoreQantas Shows Off New Boeing 787-9 Aircraft
Qantas has unveiled its first Boeing Dreamliner, the much anticipated aircraft that will “open up new routes and new levels of comfort for travellers.” The latest addition to the Qantas fleet, the 787-9 Dreamliner features next generation seating in Economy, a new Premium Economy and Business Class, with added space and a lower passenger count than…
Read MorePhilippine Airlines Is Giving Us Five Good Reasons To Travel From London
Our Regular UK followers might take great pleasure in the news that Philippine Airlines will be introducing it’s flagship 777-300ER aircraft on the Manila-London route, replacing the older A340 product that’s been operating the past few years. Originally penned to star flying in December, the date has been moved forward to September 19th 2017, meaning…
Read MoreInside Cathay’s New A350 Inaugural Flight From Gatwick
Today saw the launch of Cathay Pacific’s 4-times-a-week service between Hong Kong and Gatwick airport. The airline has rolled out it’s most technologically advanced airframe on the route, the A350-900, which also flies to Dusseldorf from Hong Kong. Being one of the lucky few invited for the inaugural event at Gatwick, TheDesignAir was able to…
Read MoreCreating Cathay’s New Brand. An Exclusive Inside Look At Cathay Dragon
Part one of TheDesignAir’s exclusive series on the making of Cathay Dragon. The newly renamed Cathay Dragon has just started its life as an airline brand. Originally named ‘Dragonair’, the Cathay sibling has very clearly positioned itself alongside the internationally recognised Cathay Pacific. On first glance, the rebrand may just look like a red Cathay…
Read MoreCathay Pacific Rebrand DragonAir As “Cathay Dragon”
Cathay Pacific today announced that DragonAir will cease to exist, instead the sister airline to Cathay Pacific will be rebranded as Cathay Dragon. In a press release announced today, Cathay Pacific’s Chief Executive Ivan Chu said “In aligning the Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon brands, we will create a more seamless journey for customers, enabling us to…
Read MoreUnited Starts To Roll Out Polaris, With Focus On Chicago’s ORD New Polaris Lounge
This might not be a ‘partridge in a pear tree’, but December 1st saw United start to give it’s premium passengers a new gift, in the form of Polaris – the newly redefined Business Class experience. At 12.01am this morning, the airline started to roll out the new Polaris service across all of its markets. The reimagined, sleep-enhancing…
Read MoreSkyTeam Lounge At Hong Kong International Opens In Partnership With China Airlines And China Eastern
This week saw the opening of SkyTeam’s latest beautiful lounge in Hong Kong International Airport. This is the latest major SkyTeam lounge opening since Sydney earlier this year. The ‘Exclusive’ Lounge is the result of a partnership between China Airlines and China Eastern airlines. It is SkyTeam’s first VIP Lounge in the Greater China region and the…
Read MoreNew Cathay ‘The Pier’ Business Class Lounge Delights
Cathay Pacific opened its doors today to the first official visitors of their latest, and largest, lounge in Hong Kong; The New Business Class Lounge at The Pier. The Pier, which plays home to Cathay Pacific’s most recently refurbished First and Business Class lounges at Hong Kong International Airport, has been offering unparalleled levels of comfort and…
Read MoreNew Uniform For HK Express Revealed
The Streets of Hong Kong have just got a little bit snappier today. Hong Kong-based HK Express launched its new uniform for cabin crew designed by LIFT Strategic Design, which also created the airline’s brand and cabin interior. In a shift from the normal buzz of employing a fashion designer to create the uniforms for…
Read MoreCathay Pacific Open StudioIlse Vancouver Lounge
Cathay Pacific has unveiled it’s latest lounge in Vancouver International Airport. Opened two days ago, the lounge is located in the International Terminal, between departure gates D66 and D67. This is the latest in a line of new lounges for the carrier, following the iconic design template which has already been rolled out in Cathay Pacific lounges…
Read MoreCathay Opens London Heathrow Lounge – And It Feels Like Home
Cathay Pacific have finally previewed their latest outstation lounge in Terminal 3 of London’s Heathrow Airport. Featuring separate First and Business Class areas, the London lounge which has been long awaited, matches the design template that Stusdioilse has brought to the other recent lounge openings. The lounge, which officially opens its doors on Wednesday, 7 December features…
Read MoreLatest SkyTeam Lounge To Open In Beijing
Following this year’s opening of SkyTeam‘s Hong Kong lounge, the alliance is about to launch a second greater-China lounge in Beijing Capital International Airport. The sixth worldwide lounge for the group will offer a “luxurious pre-flight experience complemented by high-end amenities” for First and Business Class passengers and Elite Plus members flying on any of the…
Read More10 (Extra) Reasons To Fly From America Right Now
There is a lot of global attention on the new presidency in the US right now. While many have watched with their head in their hands recently and others have had their head in the sand, we’ve compiled some additional more reasons it might be good to book a flight sometime soon to escape the…
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