While most people will be getting excited about the final instalment of the globally successful HBO franchise, 2019 will also see a range of new business class seats across the globe that will see the business class experience becoming more and more competitive with regards to the hard product on offer. With seat designers and…
Read MoreUnited Rolls Out The Carpet For New IAH Houston International Polaris Lounge
Friday 29th June will see the launch of United’s latest Polaris lounge, joining Chicago, San Francisco and Newark’s recent openings. Passengers travelling in the airline’s Polaris business class, available on the carrier’s international routes will have access to this premium lounge. As with all the Polaris lounges, there will be a focus on locally sourced menus…
Read MoreTheDesignAir Exclusive Interview With Star Alliance’s Julie Murphy
Have you ever wondered what involvement the airline alliance has in the design language adopted by their airlines? With the rise the alliance-friendly terminal, such as Heathrow’s Terminal 2, we talk to Julie Murphy, Star Alliance’s Chair in the UK about design and customer experience. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, can…
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 MoreANA Reveals New Lounge In Honolulu, Specifically Designed For A380
ANA have revealed the next stage of their unique A380 Flying Honu service between Japan and Honolulu. Honolulu’s Ewa concourse is going to see a brand new lounge featuring an ornate carved wooden tree ceiling, specifically for ANA with direct lounge access to the aircraft for their Business and First Class passengers. As well as…
Read MoreThe Loft By Brussels Airlines Expands Further To Increase Space And Innovation For Guests
Yesterday saw the opening of Brussels Airlines’ The Loft extension in Brussels International Airport. Brussels Airlines expanded the lounge to cater for it’s 1,500 daily passengers who use the existing facilities, providing an increased amount of space for up to 500 passengers at any time. The airline has taken a true ‘product placement’ approach to the…
Read MoreLufthansa Creates New Lounge Concept, Starting With Milan Malpensa Lounge
Lufthansa have just opened their latest lounge, this one in Milan Malpensa. Serving their 7+ flights per day to Frankfurt and Munich, the lounge is certainly large enough at 550 square metres and featuring 117 seats. The new design concept certainly embraces a ‘cosy atmosphere’ as it states in its press release, with warmer tones…
Read MoreAustrian Re-opens First Senator Lounge, One Of Five New-Look Lounges In Vienna
Austrian Airlines has announced the grand reveal of their Senator Lounge, one of the carrier’s five lounges in Vienna International airport. While two business class lounges have already received a refresh, the remaining business class lounge and Senator lounge will be complete by the end of the Spring. While fairly basic in appearance, the minimalist…
Read MoreSwiss Opens Stylish New Zurich Business And Senator Lounges
Swiss has just opened its redesigned Lounge Centre A at Zurich Airport in Switzerland. The new lounge complex, which is mainly aimed at short-haul travellers, includes a Business and a Senator Lounge. These follow the design of the First Class lounge which recently opened. Made up of series of zones with a range of privacy…
Read MoreTrip Report: Turkish Airlines B777-300ER Business Class May 2018
Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: May 2018 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines impressed TheDesignAir last year with a trip on the same route. With the impending opening of the New Istanbul Airport this year, along with new transit services such as the Bosphorus Experience the airline is continuing to evolve and improve, but we wanted to see…
Read MoreTurkish Airlines Introduces Bosphorus Experience For Transiting Business Class Passengers
Turkish Airlines has introduced another program for its business class passengers, inviting transiting travellers to get to experience the very best of Istanbul. The Istanbul Bosphorus Experience is a new purchasable program, specially for its Business Class passengers who have a transfer time of seven or more hours in Istanbul. “We always strive to offer…
Read MoreBritish Airways Increases Focus On Connecting Passengers Including Chauffeur Service For Club World And First Cabins
Heathrow can be stressful sometimes (although we’ve had our fair share of excellent experiences too and usually can get from gate to tube on a good day in just 6 minutes) however, if your flight is delayed or connecting flight is on the other side of the terminal, then British Airways’ new enhanced services for…
Read MoreLounging Around: Turkish Airlines Lounge, Istanbul
As part of our three part series on Turkish Airlines impressive business class offering, we finish with a review of their CIP Lounge in Istanbul. Located in the main terminal away from the hustle and bustle of the departure lounge. On arrival into Istanbul at 4am, its clear to see that it’s busy 24/7, with…
Read MoreUnited Launches Much Anticipated New Polaris Lounge In SFO
Starting Next Monday, April 30, customers booked in United Polaris – the airline’s name for international business class – will be able to relax and dine prior to their travels or refresh upon arrival in the new United Polaris lounge at San Francisco International Airport conveniently located in the International Terminal near Gate G92. The lounge,…
Read MoreSeven Of The Best Lounge Views In Heathrow Airport
Heathrow has no less than forty-something lounges across the expansive airport, but the offering can vary substantially, so selecting the right lounge can be a bit of a challenge. For those fellow aviation nuts out there though, the airport does offer a range of lounges with excellent views of the runways and apron, making spotting…
Read MoreTrip Report: LATAM B777-300ER Business Class January 2019
Flight: LA8084 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: GRU-LHR Date: January 2019 http://www.latam.com LATAM‘s 777 has long been on our radar to experience. While we had experienced the 787-8 operated by LAN back in 2015, the 777 offered a very different experience, with a traditional 2 x 3 x 2 configuration in business class with the ‘dreaded’ middle seat. While…
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic gets the Star Wars bug, alongside LATAM, with special livery aircraft
It’s a real battle of do you prefer the Dark Side or the rebel Alliance this week as Virgin Atlantic and LATAM both reveal special limited edition liveries to support the opening of Star Wars ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ experience at Walt Disney World Resort. While LATAM have showcased their stormtrooper themed 777, Virgin Atlantic have themed one…
Read MoreTAP Portugal Launches New Lisbon Lounge Designed By Miguel Arruda
Last week saw the opening of TAP Portugal’s brand-new business class lounge in Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport. The new lounge replaces the previous space and prepares the company for its increasing fleet of retrofitted fully-flat bed seats and new A330neo aircraft just around the corner. Covering an area of 850 square metres with space for…
Read MoreTrip Report: Turkish Airlines A321 & 737 Business Class April 2017
Flight: TK1984 & TK1981 Aircraft Type: A321 & 737-800 Class: Business Class Route: LHR-IST-LGW Date: April 2017 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines may be the most International airline, flying to more countries and destinations than any other carrier, both short and long-haul, but its not size that always counts. While the ME3 carriers get most of the attention, Turkish Airlines was certainly worth a…
Read MoreTurkish Airlines New IAD Washington DC Lounge
October saw Turkish Airlines‘ first lounge open in the United States, reinforcing the carrier’s commitment to its global network. Covering 5,000sq ft the lounge can play host to 120 guests for the airline’s business class passengers and Star Alliance Gold members. This certainly is a more intimate designer space than fellow Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa’s lounge…
Read MoreThe Suite Kinshasa Opens Hot On The Heels Of Latest Brussels Lounge
The Democratic Republic of Congo may not be on every airline’s bucket list of lounge locations, but for Brussels Airlines, Kinshasa is a valuable route, and worthy of it’s first premium lounge offering outside of Brussels. Named ‘The Suite – Kinshasa’, after its recently opened namesake in Brussels, The Suite offers an intimate but well crafted lounge…
Read MoreTrip Report: Turkish Airlines 777-300ER Business Class April 2017
Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: April 2017 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines has certainly caught our attention recently. In our first report on the airline’s short-haul product, they impressed us with a region-beating business class product. As part of our three part series we were happy to explore their signature long haul product, which stars in their latest…
Read MoreAvianca Launch New Miami Lounge
Avianca this week announced the latest opening of their new lounge concept in Miami International Airport. Located in Terminal J near boarding gate 12B, the lounge offers its services to LifeMiles Élite Gold and Diamond members as well as Star Alliance Gold, Priority Pass cardholders or Business Class travelers and their guest. This is the 16th lounge…
Read MoreTrip Report: Avianca A330 Business Class July 2015
Flight: AV121 Aircraft Type: A330-200 Class: ‘Previous Generation’ Business Class Route: LHR-BOG Flight time: 10:27 Seat: 1J Date: July 2015 http://www.avianca.com Best for: People travelling in pairs. The previous generation business class seats are in a 2 x 2 x 2 format. Fares are low, and offer good connections through most of South & Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. The crowd: Mainly South American…
Read MoreTrip Report: Thai Airways Royal Silk A380 Business Class June 2016
Flight: TG911 Aircraft Type: A380-800 Class: ‘Royal Silk’ Business Class Route: LHR-BKK Date: June 2016 http://www.thaiairways.com We were lucky enough to fly on Thai Airways almost twenty years ago, one of our first long haul flights as a kid, and since then, the airline has always stuck in our hearts. We remember orchid flowers being distributed to passengers and that…
Read MoreAir Canada Add New Toronto Business Class Check-In Area As Latest In Wave Of Improvements
Air Canada last week opened a new Business Class check-in area in Toronto Pearson for their Business Class, Premium Economy, Premium Rouge and Alititude top tier fliers as well as gold members of Star Alliance. The area has been designed to offer a more relaxed environment for their premium passengers to check-in, including lounge seating,…
Read MoreANA Go Full Force With Their 787 Last Week In Brussels & Tatooine(?!)
Japanese carrier ANA have been having some fun with their 787 recently, both playing Star Wars with some avid sci-fi aficionados and also launching their new Brussels flight with a 787 service. On October 17, 2015, the R2-D2 ANA JET Fan Appreciation Flight event was held at Haneda Airport. A total of 91 passengers were selected—42 chosen from…
Read MoreSingapore Airlines Introduce New SilverKris Lounge In Heathrow’s Terminal 2
The latest carrier to embrace a residential concept for their lounge offering, Singapore Airlines has unveiled its brand new SilverKris Lounge at Heathrow, following the airline’s recent move into Heathrow’s Terminal 2. Designed by renowned architectural and interior design firm ONG&ONG, the new Heathrow SilverKris Lounge for First and Business Class customers is the third lounge to…
Read MoreBig Day Today For Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport is getting three new services from Europe today. October 25th 2015 sees British Airways upgraded A380 service arrive at the airport, Virgin Atlantic‘s second daily Miami service, and a brand new connection from Turkish Airlines. The new services mark an expansion to Europe with a large expansion of seats to pick from. British Airways…
Read MoreTrip Report: TAP Portugal A330 Business Class November 2015
Flight: TP85 Aircraft Type: A330-200 Class: ‘Previous Generation’ Business Class Route: LHR-GRU Flight time: 9:50 Seat: 2F Date: October 2015 http://www.flytap.com Best for: Passengers flying between Europe and South America. A high proportion of passengers on short haul flights connect on to Long haul flights. The crowd: Trans-European base – with a few Brazilian fliers too. Mix of leisure fliers and business travellers. Business…
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