While we often focus on the hard and soft product from the eyes of an adult, its still important to see that airlines are focussing on their most demanding passenger demographic, children. Qatar Airways has just launched its Oryx Kids Club On-Board Children’s Programme, offering an enhanced experience for its youngest travellers by providing them with…
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 MoreQatar Airways Introduces New Dining Concept for Premium Cabins
Starting with flights to and from Europe, Qatar Airways is launching newly-designed tableware, in-flight dining menus, cutlery and chinaware to elevate their onboard experience for their premium passengers. The airline has followed a recent trend of celebrating regional specialities, and has put a greater focus on these within the menu. Qatar Airways has rolled out new…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Awards 2019 voting has now closed!
TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the shortlist for the DesignAir Awards 2019 and just like last couple of years, we’ve opened some of the categories to the public. The voting is now closed! Now is your chance to pick from our shortlisted categories for Best Design Airline, by region, across the globe. All it takes…
Read MoreAbout face! Why British Airways might need to accelerate its Business Class retrofit
There’s quite a lot of commentary on Covid-19 right now, and the research is constantly evolving. There’s already some innovative designs on the drawing board for helping with the perception of social distancing, including Factorydesign’s Isolation Kit and Aviointeriors’ Janus seat concept. While Factorydesign’s concept actually is quite smart and has a post Covid-19 application,…
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 MoreQatar Airways Celebrates World Cup Season With New Advertising Campaign Featuring Nicole Scherzinger
It’s that time of year where airlines, and FIFA sponsors, start to really push home their partnerships, and Qatar Airways is not shying away from the limelight the launch of their new “Dancing in the Street” campaign which launched just moments ago. Featuring Nicole Scherzinger, the airline is pushing a feel good anthem which will…
Read MorePriestmanGoode shows off their vision for a future ‘Pure Skies’ cabin
Meet Pure Skies, PriestmanGoode’s answer to the future of flight, responding to the recent curve ball Covid-19 threw at cabin designers of today. The London-based design studio created a new design concept to support the future success of the aviation industry – understanding that a clean slate is needed to bring confidence back to the…
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 MoreOpinion: In a battle to regain passenger trust, every inch counts
While no one has successfully modelled the complex commercial outlook of the airline industry over the coming months, some airlines are predicting it will take many years to return to pre-Covid19 levels of revenue, profitability and passenger numbers. When borders reopen there might be a small surge in passenger numbers, but to get to 2019…
Read MoreCould paper and card be a simple solution to help stop viral transmission?
A recent National Institute of Health report highlighted the length of time that different viral strains could possibly live on surfaces. Most of us have heard how a trace of Covid-19 can live on plastic and metal for up to three days (albeit ever reducing in strength), whereas copper and cardboard/paper are found to be…
Read MoreThe Rise Of A New Class, ‘Business Suites’, But Will It See The Death Of First Class?
Doors. This is where it all starts. Over the past few years, the differences between First Class and Business Class hard-products have become fewer and farther between. We’re now in an era where British Airways new Business Class product offers equal space and more privacy than its older First Class product. Airlines such as Qatar…
Read MoreAir Italy Emerges As New Brand For Meridiana With New Strategic Brand Image
Air Italy will become the new brand for Meridiana, Italy’s legacy carrier that currently competes with Alitalia. 49% owned by Qatar Airways, the airline has announced an extensive growth plan and inject of new aircraft including 5 A330 aircraft from Qatar Airways. The images at the launch show off fully-flat beds, a 31″ seat pitch…
Read MoreQatar Airways Features Breast Cancer Awareness Limited Edition Amenity Kits
If you’ve travelled or are about to travel on Qatar Airways this month, you might find yourself handed a pink amenity kit. These special limited edition kits are now being offered to Qatar Airways’ First and Business Class passengers to mark the airline’s continuing support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Continuing on Qatar Airways existing…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Launches 2018 Awards Shortlist
TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the shortlist for the DesignAir Awards 2018 and just like last year, we’ve opened some of the categories to the public, so you can vote for the winners you feel are most worthy. Now is your chance to pick from our shortlisted categories for Best Design Airline, by region, across…
Read MoreAn Exclusive Look Inside Qatar Airways QSuite Product
In an exclusive media event at Heathrow yesterday, Qatar Airways showed off its Quite product on the only operating aircraft with the new seats. TheDesignAir was one of the very few media outlets allowed at this exclusive show around. Currently only available on the 777 aircraft, the QSuite – Qatar Airways’ latest business class product…
Read MoreQatar Airways Launch Refreshed Range Of Amenity Kits
Qatar Airways has just extended its existing relationship with both BRIC’S and Nappa Dori for their long and medium-haul passengers. The relationship which started at the end of last year, has seen a new wave of limited-edition amenity kit designs take to the skies. BRIC’S limited edition luxury amenity kits come in a selection of four…
Read MoreIn This Current Climate, Is There A Need For Leading Business Class Airlines?
No matter how we look at it, the aviation business class landscape is changing, and is potentially as fragmented as ever. The race to the bottom is evident, even in currently touted ‘5-star airlines’ who seek profitability. Whether a desire to chase the most effective cabin configuration (LOPA), decision to reduce amenities to the bare…
Read MoreIs this the new international standard for long-haul Business class?
For anyone that travels in premium cabins a lot, there seem to be a few moving goalposts when it comes to an internationally standardised product. Where some carriers believe business class comes with all bells and whistles, such as chauffeur drive, the same carrier might not believe in pyjamas. While some offer dine on demand,…
Read MoreBreaking Down Walls, Are Doors In Business Class Really That Important For Passengers?
A few years ago, the race was on to kit out an airline’s entire fleet with fully-flat, all-aisle access seats in business class, as this was a quantifiable benefit from competitors who were offering either angled lie-flat or seats that didn’t feature aisle access. A few key seats became de-facto benchmarks in passenger expectations, including…
Read MoreAs ‘Project Sunrise’ research flight takes to the skies, we ask is ultra-long travel really just pushing passengers too far?
The airline industry has a history of records from fastest flight to longest flight, the highest to the biggest, there’s a list as long as an A340-600 of impressive stats and figures that celebrate the innovation and scientific advancements in the airline industry. For a sector celebrating a centenary this year its amazing how far…
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 MoreBattle Of The Emerging ‘Boutique Airlines’
It’s a phrase that some airlines build their business model and service proposition on, but the ‘Boutique’ airline is a seemingly new airline type that will no doubt turn our heads a little more often than legacy carriers, but why is that? While La Compagnie has already built the strap-line ‘Boutique Airline’ into their marketing,…
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 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 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 MoreCould These Be The Blueprints For Emirates New 777X Business Class Seats?
At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Germany today, we saw the unveiling of a new business class seat model, created by a joint venture between Adient and Boeing. They have developed lie-flat business class seat prototypes to potential customers at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany. “It will be our goal to provide a superior…
Read MoreAnnouncing TheDesignAir Awards 2018 Winners
TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the 2018 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 business class cabins to swathes of new airline lounges, no stone has been left unturned…
Read MoreQatar Is Latest Airline To Release A Campaign To Respond To A Political Landscape
Qatar Airways has released a powerful video campaign in response to their closed airspace borders. Titled “No Borders, Only Horizons” the video subtly addresses their current situation with a strong, emotionally-based message. This latest campaign follows recent videos from Turkish Airlines featuring Morgan Freeman and Aeromexico that responded to the actions of the US. The…
Read MoreThe Shifting Landscape Of The ME3
Recently the ME3, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar have all garnered attention for their differing stances on their lucrative premium passengers. While Etihad has taken the stance of appealing to all classes especially economy, Emirates is going to try to lure First Class passengers with a new First Class cabin in November, and Qatar seeks to…
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