British Airways announced that its 787-8 Dreamliners are the latest in the line to get some much needed love in regards to their business class product. While the majority of the fleet has already been updated, there’s still a few aircraft left with the original Yin-yang suites from the 2000’s, including the 787-8’s, 787-9’s and…
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Plaza Premium might be new to the US, but that doesn’t mean it is coming to the market tentatively. The group’s brand new Plaza Premium Lounge at Orlando International Airport (MCO) is a flagship product in virtually every regard, from space, design through to the range of facilities on offer. The state-of-the-art Plaza Premium Lounge,…
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China Airlines has now released a new menu and tableware to compliment its Japan routes. The airline will partner with Toutouan, a famous restaurant in Tokyo, to launch their “natural style” Japanese cuisine for Premium Business/Business Class on all Japanese routes. Brand new Japanese tableware will also complement the cuisine. “By bringing Japan’s signature banquet…
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Yesterday saw the very first of no less than 120 retrofitted aircraft take off from Dubai to London Heathrow. As part of a US$2billion upgrade program, EK003 heralds the start of a huge investment from Emirates to bring all of their A380s back to the skies, and – eventually – featuring the latest cabin products…
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For the first time in two decades, British Airways has refreshed its uniform, and in following tradition, had selected British designer of Saville Row fame – Ozwald Boateng to shape the new look for the 30,000 front line crew who are customer facing. The collection was shaped by Boateng shadowing various crew members from engineering…
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Iberia is the first airline to take delivery of the new A350 cabins that feature ever-so-slightly wider cabins and new technologies that make the aircraft lighter and more advanced (such as greater flap settings and faster retracting landing gear), even though they look identical on the outside. However, on the inside, Iberia has opted to…
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As 2022 draws to a close, we’ve seen the airline industry bounce back with a vengeance. The industry has proven itself as strong as ever, rebounding with new routes, new aircraft, new interiors and a sense of optimism once again. We have continued to see innovation, enhancements, and a renewed investment into the passenger experience.…
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Last week saw Air France unveil its fully redesigned lounge in Terminal 1 at Munich-Franz Josef Strauss international airport in Germany. While other airlines have been closing their ground products across the globe, Air France is one of the few carriers bucking the trend with upgraded and refreshed spaces. Dedicated to Air France, KLM and…
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For so many, the writing has been on the wall for First Class. After all, the gulf between First and Business Class was bridged by a wave of suites, fully flat beds and all-aisle access in the larger more affordable J class cabin. This means for many now, the upgrade to First Class simply meant…
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It’s with great pleasure TheDesignAir’s 10th annual award winners have been announced today, celebrating the very best in aviation design, brand and passenger experience from across the globe. We’re thrilled to see airlines once again investing in passenger experience and brand, and there have been many excellent entrants and shortlisted entries this year. We’re thrilled…
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A Foster + Partners and Buro Happold consortium has won the competition to design the new CPK airport between Warsaw and Łódź. “The pivotal project will act as a symbolic gateway to Poland, a 21st century transport interchange which brings together air, rail and road, while reflecting the country’s national identity and providing exceptional passenger experience,”…
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Award-winning Taiwanese carrier Starlux has just received its first of over a dozen new A350s, destined to start flying long-haul routes next year. As well as being the first carrier to have Airbus’ latest version of the XWB, which features an additional 4″ of internal width at the shoulder level and electronically tinted windows. While…
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While TheDesignAir Awards 2022 public vote is due to end on the 6th November, there’s still a chance for design studios, airlines and airports to enter our recently launched Design Innovation award which celebrates innovation in the passenger experience field that enhances the traveller journey. From new seats to covid innovations, sustainable service ware to…
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I’ve been saying for a while that Etihad has been repositioning itself as the leader of boutique carriers. In fact, an impromptu conversation in my hotel bar last night with two Emirati ladies reaffirmed this belief, who excitingly dubbed the carrier as more ‘exclusive and chic’ than its larger, brasher, blingier, counterparts. It seems today…
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While Lufthansa had to quietly retreat from it’s questionable 5-star Skytrax rating just a few weeks ago, to a more understandable 4-star rating, it’s no surprise that the carrier is trying to pull out all the stops to re-energise interest in the carrier which has been marred recently by news of impending strikes. Yesterday Lufthansa…
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TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the launch of this year’s Awards after returning last year. We’ve once again released our shortlist for the DesignAir Awards 2022 and just like every year, we’ve opened some of the categories to the public. It’s time for you to get involved! Now is your chance to pick from our…
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Pokemon characters certainly don’t seem scared of flying, after all, there have been multiple themed aircraft from the franchise over the years. The latest – and first to grace Taiwan – can be found on China Airlines aptly named “Pikachu Jet CI”. The design is fairly complex, and took no less than 21 days to…
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Let’s face it, airline cabins are becoming more and more familiar, the day of being surprised when walking onboard is almost over. The era of innovation that saw all-aisle access, private suites, and fully flat beds in business class – which first blossomed some twenty years ago – has seemingly settled into a plateau that…
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I was lucky enough to be invited onboard Air New Zealand’s inaugural JFK-AKL flight in September, the 4th longest flight in the world. I’ve done similar trips such as Emirates A380 LAX-DXB flights, but there’s something more unfoundedly daunting about crossing swathes of Ocean. No human likes to be stuck in a confined space for…
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After recently travelling on both Virgin Atlantic’s B787-9 and the A350 products to the US, I had the opportunity to experience both the brand-new and older Upper Class products in quick succession, and the differences were noticeable, but actually not in a way I had expected. Now this might seem a little controversial, but.. Out…
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Yesterday saw American Airlines announce a relatively needed and long-awaited refresh to its interiors programme. Bringing its long-haul and premium narrow-body cabins a whole new look was expected, and after United and Delta had rolled out its own signature Polaris and One products, American needed to step up to the mark. While the new cabins…
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Passenger seat rules and regulations regarding ergonomics haven’t really changed in decades. However, as a race, human’s have continued to evolve, and we’re getting larger and taller. This means economy seats and cabins once comfortable for passengers in the 1960’s are no longer viable for today’s traveller. In fact the CDC says between 1960 and…
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Now we aren’t saying AA’s existing lounges weren’t terrible, but apart from a handful, they weren’t much to write home about either. However the good news is that American Airlines has decided to up the ante with a redesign of its Admirals Club lounges across the United States. Customers will first experience the new look…
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The news of a new narrow-body interior for a flag-carrier in South East Asia usually would usually find other carriers across the world become a little more nervous, as expectations of a premium passenger experience adds pressure to enhance their own offerings. We’ve seen in the past few years new flatbeds in Singapore Airlines narrowbodies,…
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Launched today in London’s still-trendy Shoreditch, Virgin Atlantic’s new A330neo product should indeed turn heads. Launching a brand new product across a small yet nimble fleet usually means that the product offering becomes increasingly fragmented, but actually the airline has stumbled upon better synergies than ever on its Transatlantic offering. Introduced on Virgin Atlantic’s 16…
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June saw the announcement of a brand new pier at Zurich’s International Airport. After over 35 years in operation, Dock A has now reached the end of its life cycle and has to be replaced. In its place, will sit a brand new and stunning construction, brought to life by the teams at BIG, HOK…
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Hangar 22 is Air New Zealand‘s moniker for its research lab, which has been working on the future of ultra-long haul cabins for no less than 5 years in a mirror effort to Qantas’s Project Sunrise. There’s good reason for Air New Zealand to invest heavily in a new product, as the airline will start…
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Herringbone and forward-facing staggered business class seats? The catalogue available to airlines is now seemingly never-ending, and the latest Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg this week has revealed how the industry has never been more spoiled for choice. Two of the latest entrants in to the market have come from Safran dubbed ‘VUE’ and ‘Unity’.…
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With some 6000+ narrow-body and regional jets in the US alone, there is a huge market for ‘domestic First Class’ still, and competition is heating up at the front of the plane. Delta has just shown off its new First Class product, first announced in 2020, and the MiQ seats are starting to become commonplace…
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Condor wowed us recently with a bold new brand image. Some of you might have already seen these bold stripey aircraft in the skies, which are certainly standing out on airport aprons. In fact, the intended purpose to generate interest and awareness of the brand is working, with many images popping up on social media,…
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