With the world cup soon approaching, national airlines around the world are getting into the spirit and supporting their local teams. Here’s a recap of some of the special liveries over the past few weeks – how many have you seen? Let us know! Brussels Airlines ‘Red Devils’ Brussels Airlines went to town with their…
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Flight: CI062 Aircraft Type: B747-400 Class: Business Class Route: FRA-TPE Date: May 2014 http://www.china-airlines.com Best for: Affordable business class travellers wanting excellent service and good connections across Asia. Most likely to sit next to: Local Taiwanese travellers, or connecting European flyers utilising the Skyteam partnership. Business or pleasure: Pleasure. Without wi-fi onboard, and a service concept that makes you feel like you are…
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Every designer’s idea of sheer panic is a blank sheet of paper. Imagine if this was given to you in the form of a completely empty A380 shell, and you were asked to create purely original ideas to fill it to the brim. It’s this blank piece of ‘metaphorical’ paper that was given to the…
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No surprises here; we love good design. And when Virgin America‘s current site was launched it was a nice refreshing change from the norm, however the ever-evolving look of the web meant it was only time until a redesign was on the cards. Instead of waiting for the site to look outdated, they decided to do a spring clean…
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SAS, excitingly, have announced a brand new cabin concept for their long haul aircraft. Featuring business class, premium economy and economy classes, the new cabin and seat designs leap the airline into 2014 with a loud bang. Competing against carriers such as Finnair who have already pushed their airline forward with new designed cabins, SAS…
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Sadly, 27th May 2014, graphic design legend Massimo Vignelli passed away at the age of 83. The Italian born designer is most famous for his work designing the New York Subway map & signage as well as the graphic design of the infamous American Airlines identity that only until recently was one of the most iconic aircraft liveries…
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When you hear ‘sustainable tourism’, let’s be honest, you wouldn’t picture yourself in a luxurious villa like the one above. However, we explored the finer side of the latest travel buzz-word in one of Thailand’s best hotels. Welcome to this month’s Hot Hotel, Soneva Kiri. The latest of the Soneva hotels to open, and still an established…
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We weren’t fully sure what to think of Asiana’s new A380 interior when we saw their presentation, however, secretly, the big kid inside us absolutely loves what they are doing. It’s like a Disney World of the skies for all ages, but more on that in a second. Firstly, lets take a look at the…
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Our 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…
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Leave your inhibitions, and your clothes in your suitcase. Launching July 1st, Finnair will be offering its top tier fliers a lounge that is more health spa than business centre. Available to both the regular lounge guests and the new Top Tier lounge guests, passengers will now enjoy access to completely new private shower suites, as well…
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Air France today launched its new first class (La Premiere) cabin, found on its 777-300 fleet, titled ‘A Designer Suite’. With only 4 suites available onboard, the airline has decided to reduce the cabin size, and make the whole experience a little more ‘intimate’ and special – now offering 3 square meters of space per…
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We have been pretty impressed by Plaza Premium‘s latest few lounges, and this new lounge, announced for London Heathrow’s Terminal 2 is no exception to their rule. The latest lounge, which open on June 4th, the same day the terminal opens, will be Hong Kong based Plaza Premium’s first venture in Europe. The innovative lounge has been designed…
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Back in late February China Southern took delivery of its first 777-300ER. In March 2014 it started flying to Shanghai from Guangzhou and now is commencing flights to NYC. The new aircraft features the latest cabin designs for the carrier which in our estimation has lifted the carrier to a world class competitor. With a…
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Today (May 4th 2014) Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled the world’s first private multi-room cabin on a commercial passenger aircraft. The Residence will unbelievably feature a living room, double bedroom, separate ensuite shower room, and for the first time in the airline industry, a dedicated, trained Butler. We…
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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled the new product and service offering on its Airbus A380 and Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft, including The Residence by Etihad, definitely the world’s most luxurious living space in the air, available only on the airline’s A380 aircraft. The new interiors have been designed…
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We love ANA and their constant reinvention of their inflight product. The latest news, of the unveiling of their new flight attendant and customer service uniforms, is a welcome sight. Created by New York fashion designer Prabal Gurung, whose designs have been worn by First Lady Michelle Obama, the Duchess of Cambridge and Lady Gaga, the uniforms reflect…
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Recently there have been a few new amenity kits surfacing around the world, with Qantas and JAL recently releasing their kits. We take a look at two of the latest. Long gone are the cheap plastic looking bags. Airlines have invested heavily into beautiful keepsakes that will last for years. By partnering with some of the…
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Now I was lucky enough to be given the heads up by Andrew Humphreys, the Editorial Director of my old company Ink Global, about a project the company had successfully completed for their client Norwegian Airlines. When Design Director at Ink, I championed out-of-the-box thinking and it’s this kind of project (currently onboard Norwegian), where…
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We were lucky enough to be invited to the official press unveiling of Heathrow’s brand new Terminal today, and the launch of the new ‘SlipStream‘ Artwork by Richard Wilson, which sits proudly in front of the building in a covered walkway connecting the rest of Heathrow and Terminal 2’s new car park to the…
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With the recent arrival (end of last year) of its first Boeing 787 up to a total of 19, Aeromexico become the first airline in Mexico and the number 14th around the world to operate the aircraft. Aeromexico are proud of their 787, which will now operate on the flagship London Heathrow route. With the new arrival…
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If you have been travelling recently on our favourite Finnish airline to Japan over the past couple of weeks you may have seen a myriad of Kimonos adorning the cabin crew designed by none-other than Marimekko. The reason? To celebrate the Japanese Cherry Blossom “Sakura”, a season in Japan that brings in a huge influx of…
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The launch of the new Terminal 2 at London’s Heathrow Airport has given some airlines the perfect excuse to design new lounges and configure the passenger experience for the more “modern” traveller. A prime example of this, is with United’s new United Club and Global First Lounges, that quite frankly, are surprisingly stunning. Interestingly, United…
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Revealed at Hamburg’s Aircraft Interiors Expo this year, American showcase their new interiors for the current 777-200 fleet, designed to match the new look 777-300 aircraft already flying with the airline. The retrofit is scheduled to commence later this year. There are a few changes though, especially with a new look customised business class seat, which whilst close…
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What 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…
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Sometimes we come across a beautiful redesign that really is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the industry, and this small airline in North Eastern Canada is by far a small diamond in the rough. Where some airlines with a small regional network can wisely invest into making sure their ageing fleet is…
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We love it when a partnership can learn from each other. It seems the new strategic partnership of Virgin Atlantic and Delta are helping each other out. The airlines recently announced that some Delta flights on key business routes (London to New York-JFK, London to Boston, and the new London to Seattle) are now utilising London Heathrow’s Terminal…
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JPA Design have released the latest lounge project images for Air China, the same time they announce they will be designing the interiors for the carriers new 787s. The new lounge is set over two floors at Shanghai, Pudong Airport and good news for frequent fliers, as it is a member of the International Star…
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China 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…
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Thai Airways may have had the current staggered Sogerma Solstys seat arrangement on their 777 for a little while now, but the airline has finally invested into created a more customised and exquisite cabin concept. Designed by Priestmangoode, this is the 3rd announcement in as many weeks for the UK based consultancy. This is an extension of a larger…
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Who? Well, to be honest, we hadn’t heard of them before either, shame on us! Welcome to the freshly released image for Epic Air, a new airline for Bangladesh, who aims to start flying commercially in the latter part of 2014. The livery titled ‘The Colours of Change’ has been designed by long running Seattle-based Teague,…
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