Flight: CI061 (Westbound) and CI062 (Eastbound) Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Premium Business Class Route: FRA-TPE-FRA Date: November 2015 http://www.china-airlines.com China Airlines has really managed to wow the world with their ‘Next Generation’ program. The airline has won not just one but three awards at the Global Traveler Awards, including best business class seat design. It’s also…
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Cathay have announced a 10% increase in their flights between the UK and Hong Kong, showcasing a high demand for the popular long-haul city pair. A total of 43 flights a week between the UK has been enabled be the introduction of a new four-times-weekly service to London’s Gatwick Airport on 2 September 2016, (subject to…
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American Airlines have announced they will be the first US carrier to introduce a ‘true’ Premium Economy on its international wide-body fleet. Premium Economy will be available in late 2016, and will offer a new class of service directly behind Business Class, providing an enhanced product offering compared to the Main Cabin. This new international-standard product…
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Even to a seasoned 737-800 Senior First Officer who has done their countless number of walk-arounds, the game of spot the difference is still mighty hard with the 737 MAX 8 which was rolled out today (December 8th) in Renton, Washingston State, USA. If you click on the image above, you’ll notice the variety of tail fins…
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On December 5th, Alitalia welcomed its first new medium haul interior to match the new styling found in the airline’s long haul cabins. This starts the major cabin refurbishment of Alitalia’s short and medium fleet of 96 aircraft has begun with the project earmarked for completion by April next year. On average four aircraft are going to…
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On Wednesday, James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways officially opened the airline’s First and Business Class Lounge at JFK International Airport. Following Washington D.C. the new lounge is the second in the United States to join the airline’s collection of premium lounges offered worldwide for its guests. The new space is designed by…
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For the sixth consecutive year, Alitalia has scooped best inflight cuisines in the skies according to the Global Traveler Awards 2015. We aren’t surprised by this announcement, as we were blown away by the cuisine found on a recent trip report which excelled on every level. Since their partnership with Etihad, the service offering has been improved…
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This has to be one of the most breathtaking videos this year, showing the painstaking detail Luca Iaconi-Stewart has gone to to showcase Singapore Airlines‘ suite of seating products. The paper model artist became globally acclaimed this year when he showed off his Air India 777 1:60 scale model made purely of Manila paper (complete…
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British Airways have never been shy of embracing new technology. They were the first airline to create a digital app back in 2008. That year, some 118,000 added it to their device and in 2015, it has topped the five million mark. During the last seven years the airline has updated their app with new functionality 32 times,…
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Alitalia today announced their latest wave of improvements to the passenger experience. Guests on all Alitalia flights can now use their phone to check emails or send text messages immediately after their flight has landed, while the aircraft is taxiing to the terminal. A new “Gate to Gate” procedure to allow the use of personal electronic devices has…
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This may not be the most well-known airline internationally, but PNG Air certainly will be turning heads thanks to a new livery and brand developed by Principals Group, a brand strategy and identity company with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. Launched this month in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea (one of the most challenging…
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Emirates last week announced that all new 777-300ER and A380 deliveries will be outfitted with enhanced IFE screens and technology, allowing passengers to flick through a massive 4,300 hours of entertainment. That is virtually half a year non-stop of watching a TV, meaning it is practically impossible to watch the whole entertainment offering, even if…
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In the heart of Honolulu Airport, TheDesignAir talks exclusively with Avi Mannis at Hawaiian Airlines on their home turf, discussing the past, the future, brand and livery, plus what it means to be a truly successful ‘destination carrier’ The Roots of the Hawaiian Airlines Brand Sat in Hawaiian Airlines offices just on the edge of…
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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…
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When Hawaiian Airlines rejuvenated the cabin of its Boeing B717 aircraft earlier this year with modern, lightweight seats by PaulWylde, the carrier was left with an up cycling opportunity. Hawaiian’s innovative solution will be on display to the public starting Friday at Honolulu Fashion Week, when the stylish garments and accessories made from the seat fabric will…
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This month, Edelweiss launched a brand new livery for their fleet of aircraft. The subtle change in the look supports the leading Swiss leisure travel airline’s growth, and underscores its origins as well as reflecting its more premium in-flight product. As well as the new aircraft design, Edelweiss will also modernise the interior of its entire Airbus A320…
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This month our favourite independent lounge company Plaza Premium launched a brand new lounge in Shanghai Pudong for China Eastern airlines. The world’s first co-branded spacious lounge, situated in Shanghai’s Terminal 2 features 1,800 square meters of space for passengers to relax before their flights. The lounge which can seat up to 500 guests in comfort,…
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TheDesignAir were happy to see that Air France had their own set of luggage, currently available on their Flying Blue Shopping site. Air France is already well known for their designer touches to the aviation, so partnering with Delsey, its no surprise the result is a fairly slick set of luggage. Available in three sizes and…
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Cathay Pacific today opened the long awaited lounge for passengers travelling out of Taiwan Taoyuen International Airport. Located at Level 4 in the Departure Hall of Terminal 1, the newly renovated Taipei lounge adopts the airline’s new lounge design ethos that has already won praise from passengers in other key Cathay Pacific destinations within the region…
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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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Malaysia Airlines, in a bid to attract a new wave of flyers to its aircraft, unveiled its new A330-300 Business Class seats at the World Travel Market in London this week. The new seats, which will be introduced in April 2016, will see all 15 A330-300 aircrafts fitted with the new configuration by September 2016.…
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British architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) have won a competition to design the new Terminal 3 building at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The scheme will deliver a new terminal building, boarding gates, concourses and a multi-function building, along with transport infrastructure. The practice, working alongside Taiwan engineering firm CECI, saw off competition from Foster + Partners and…
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There is nothing quite like spotting new special liveries taking to the skies. Today marks two Emirates A380 jets taking to the skies this week, wearing special liveries in support of United for Wildlife, a global collaboration that unites the efforts of the world’s leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.…
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2015 has been an impressive year for the aviation industry, with many carriers pulling up their socks and vying for the all-elusive lucrative passenger. With oil-prices lower than before, airlines are snapping at the opportunity to revisit their products, launch new aircraft and impress their paying consumers. This means one thing, a better experience for…
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Cathay Pacific today revealed their long awaited livery, which features a few simple changes to radically change their aircraft’s appearance. Designed in collaboration with design firm Eight Partnership, this new look new livery will be progressively introduced onto all the aircraft in its fleet. The livery was showcased on one of the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER aircraft at a special…
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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…
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Azul 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…
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Etihad, one of our favourite carriers here at TheDesignAir has just announced it will start daily A380 services between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne on 1 June 2016. Replacing the current 777 operating the flights EY460/461, the new A380 service will take over one of the airline’s twice daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne services, bringing not only the upgraded versions of…
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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…
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Hainan Airlines, one of Skytrax’s 7 exclusive five star carriers, announced on the weekend that it would be starting a Beijing – Manchester connection. Flying four times a week to the UK’s second most favourite destination for long haul carriers, Hainan Airlines will be the latest connection from the UK to China, a growing market,…
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