Air New Zealand has recently announced it will leave Terminal 2 at LAX to move to the TBIT terminal to sit with its Star Alliance partners. This is great news for Air New Zealand, allowing them the opportunity to design a brand new, modern lounge in the terminal, that will be used by its Star…
Read MoreWith our return to our monthly Top 10’s, this month we celebrate the launch of several new First Class cabins around the world. Have they made our Top 10 though? Interestingly, as our judges went through the offerings, it became apparent that ‘International First Class’ cabins have changed over the past few years, turning from…
Read MoreSo welcome to 2013, and business is booming (allegedly) so why not take a review of some of the best business classes available around the world right now. Whether it’s window shopping or a serious decision, our team of experts have scoured the world to find some of the most exclusive cabins available this year.…
Read MoreHere at thedesignair.net, we have almost been running for 6 years and produced in excess of 1,000 stories. We are thrilled that the website has grown so quickly, with such a great following. As the site grows, so do our partnerships, and we have worked hard to develop relationships with some of the best talent…
Read MoreAs promised, here at DesignAir we evaluated airlines around the world to compile our definitive Top 10 list of Cool Airline Brands. Let us know if you agree, whether you think we’ve missed one, or what your top 10 would be at the bottom of the page! 10. Southwest Southwest Airlines could be seen as a…
Read MoreStreuth! It’s hard not to report about the Virgin group of airlines right now, as they just keep on doing things right. We, here at TheDesignAir love this brand new commercial from Virgin Australia. Turn up your speakers, sit back and enjoy! Slick, clean, and super retro, they are really trying to hark back to the…
Read MoreVirgin America have just announced the launch of ‘The Loft’, their LAX Lounge which has finally been opened in LAX’s Terminal 3. The Loft will be a pleasant change from the slightly drab terminal waiting area security side, and offers a contemporary eco-friendly, if not a little sparse environment to relax before boarding your flight.…
Read MoreThis week, British Airways have joined KLM in charging for hold luggage, following suit of the low cost revolution running through the rest of Europe, and have now created fares that exclude hold baggage (on certain routes), making fares cheaper and more competitive against the major low cost carriers. Sadly now, the defined lines in…
Read More“Hello Mum? Yes, it’s me. I’m on the plane. I’ll be 30 minutes early.” Yes. It’s official, Virgin Atlantic have decided that mobile phone calls are a good idea in the plane, making themselves a British leader once again in aviation. Whilst this is a relatively new trend to travellers it will be interesting to…
Read MoreTAM airlines has pretty much been under the radar since their recent merger with LAN earlier this year, with many of the details still being ironed out since the combination of two of South America’s biggest carriers. That was until a couple of days ago, when LAN blasted their competitors out of the water with…
Read MoreAs we head into 2013, it’s time to start planning the best places to go for the year ahead. Here at TheDesignAir we’ve wrapped up the best 10 destinations, whether it be for the best in air travel, best new airports or the hottest hotels to stay in. So without further ado, here’s the run-down…
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic is the epitome of cool. It’s the one airline we all associate with being sexy and slick, and whilst Crawley might not be THE destination that everyone cool wants to go to, Virgin have made it a design mecca that we all want to visit. Home of the Virgin Atlantic HQ, the newly…
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic doesn’t seem to disappoint with its new onboard Upper Class offering. Now available for view on their website, the brand new product is similar to that of the previous product, but it seems slicker, more streamlined, a lot more contemporary, and comfortable. The famour purple leather seat is gone, replaced with a slick…
Read MoreIt seems the long-gone era of glamorous travel is fast diminishing, due to technological advances in the industry. Passengers are losing their connection to the airlines that they fly with, airlines are losing the communication points they used to have. ‘Tea? Coffee?” might be the only two words that a passenger could hear from their…
Read MoreNo real surprises that Virgin America sweeped the board, hosted in their home state, at the Passenger Choice Awards 2012 yesterday in Long Beach California (September 17th), pulling in a whopping 4 awards, encompassing Overall Passenger Experience (Up to 50 IFE equipped in fleet), Best in Region (Americas), Best User Interface and Best Cabin Ambiance.…
Read MoreThis month we feature our Top 10 Lounges 2012. Competition is getting tough, as lounges are constantly improving year on year, but our selections are based on product offering, design aesthetic, unique offerings and synergy with the respective airline’s brand. Let’s commence with Number 10… 10. Emirates First Class Lounge, Dubai (DXB) A wine…
Read MoreLas Vegas is the proud owner of a brand new terminal. An architectural modern cube of a terminal to be honest. This modest $2.4 billion addition gives McCarran International Airport 14 brand new gates open to both international and domestic flights. Totalling over 1.9million square feet, Terminal 3 is a state of the art building with…
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic released today they are putting VS026/027 into service operating the ever popular NY-LON route from LHR to JFK. Commencing on 28th October, the fourth daily service between JFK and LHR offers the perfect excuse to try the new super cool JFK Clubhouse whilst either popping into Manhattan or gracing Bond Street in London for…
Read MoreThere’s nothing like getting close to your passengers and melting away any concerns they have, but Sir Richard Branson has taken this to a whole new level. In an interesting PR stunt, Virgin Atlantic have launched a new onboard Ice cube. Yes. Ice cube. In a bid to… well I’m not quite sure to be…
Read MoreWhilst there hasn’t been any real announcement of their product launch for the 777, here is a video on their YouTube channel of the interior of their new aircraft, joining their fleet in 2013. Whilst there is no sound, it’s easy to work your way through their 3 classes, whilst none of these products are…
Read MoreDirect from the US patent office, these schematics have been applied for by Virgin Atlantic, could this be their new seat. Nothing radical here from their previous offering, however it seems a little more streamlined around the head area than the previous suite. This could reduce the comfort slightly, but also provide a larger sense…
Read MoreVirgin America Economy Class Report Flight: VX290 Aircraft Type: A320 Class: Economy Class (Main Cabin Express) Route: LAX – CUN Date: 06th November 2012 Best for: Cheap tickets to cool destinations, with less emphasis on cheap, more on chic. Most likely to sit next to: If you were me, slightly larger Americans laden with neck pillows, that didn’t get the memo that…
Read MoreToday was the launch of BA’s new site (well, sort of) with a new homepage with a big splash of inspirational images and more contemporary design. Whilst the website front page is a fantastic step in the right direction, and seemingly a vague copy of the new Virgin Atlantic homepage, British Airways have also made…
Read MoreOn the following day of the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s updated premium product ‘Dream Suite‘ comes news from troubled Lufthansa of a different nature. In an effort to try and become more efficient, curb spending and reign in the purse strings after a less than successful stint of turning bmi around, they are going to…
Read MoreSwoon. It’s no real surprise that Virgin America kept it’s probably now rather weighty crown of Best Domestic Airline in the US this year, it’s 5th year in a row. For those of thinking ‘Fix! Fix!’ It’s hard to say it is, as this award is voted by readers of Travel and Leisure magazine, rather…
Read MoreBritish Airways who have always taken more of an ‘atmospheric’ attitude towards their advertising campaigns compared to VA, their competitor’s, product led advertising strategy as of late, has taken a new direction. No doubt, off the back of Heston Blumenthal’s TV programme that highlighted the challenges found onboard airlines for their catering offering due to…
Read MoreBirmingham airport will be the home to a new luxury lounge, created by the super cool business lounge experts ‘No.1 Traveller‘. In October this year they will be bringing their brand of super cool relaxation and comfort to the ever expanding international airport in the Midlands of England. This is No.1 Traveller’s first lounge outside…
Read MoreTaking a leaf from the new wave of North American carriers who have already introduced ‘Premium Economy’ to their fleet to cross the big divide from Economy and Business, a struggling Air Canada is currently in RnD to develop and introduce a ‘Premium Economy’ to their fleet. This will be a major draw to Air…
Read MoreVirgin Australia have been trying to bring all their historic sub brands into line, and this latest development in their fleet has brought the Old V Australia brand into line with the rest of their fleet. A new leaf motif has been injected into the cabin, through the seats and carpet, and has been led…
Read MoreTony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia, Tune Hotels and team principal of the Caterham F1 group has recently tweeted his latest ‘Weekend Uniform’ for his Air Asia cabin crew. Whilst this ‘dressed down’ look of Short sleeve shirts and jeans looks more like easyJet’s original outfits, it’s definitely continuing the feel of F1 within his fleet of…
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