Cathay Pacific Lovers Rejoice. It’s time to burn some miles on some super-hot memorabilia 

The past two years airlines have had to think a little differently to maintain brand love, generate revenues and shift old stock that have filled warehouses. As such we’ve seen a wave of upcycling across the globe, with inflight trolleys finding their ways into homes from Asia, all the way to Europe, but now all…

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British Airways bids a fond farewell to the Queen of the Skies

Friday July 17, 2020 saw another casualty due to the Coronavirus. British Airways announced that its fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft, also known as ‘The Queen of the Skies’, are likely to have flown their last scheduled commercial service. While that might not mean ‘never-ever’, unless there is an unprecedented swing back to normality the…

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British Airways Roll Out A Beautiful 747 Retrojet That Puts Lufthansa’s New Scheme To Shame

BOAC is back! No, not really, but perhaps it should be. This simple yet stunning retrojet livery has been rolled out by British Airways to celebrate its centenary which it is enjoying this year. While the aircraft has been much-anticipated by avgeeks across the UK and further afield, the reveal wasn’t a disappointment. Large crowds…

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Qantas To Phase Out 747s And Replace With 787-9s

Qantas, like British Airways, is synonymous with the Queen of the Skies. Most childhood memories of Qantas will involve sighting one of these majestic beasts. However, the airline has announced an order for six additional Boeing 787-9s to fly on its international network, bringing its fleet of Dreamliners to 14 by the end of 2020.…

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Lufthansa’s New Blue Livery Sadly Misses The Mark

Today saw Lufthansa launch its new livery in an event in Cape Town. While many will probably like this new clean, monochromatic paint scheme, we can’t help but feel a little disappointed to see such an iconic livery be literally whitewashed. Sure, almost all liveries grow on us with time, but that doesn’t stop us…

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Air France Updates La Saga Microsite

Francophile aviation fans beware, Air France updated its very clever and highly informative website Air France La Saga microsite back in December last year, and this month saw the introduction of their latest story on the carrier’s iconic 747 aircraft that left the fleet in January. The site is dedicated to Air France’s heritage and…

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Qantas Puts Its Iconic 747 Out To Pasture

By out latest TheDesignAir contributor Zoe Belhomme | The first plane to have flown the world’s longest commercial flight from London to Sydney bid its final farewell to the skies last week before heading to its retirement home at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in New South Wales. The Qantas Boeing 747-400 made the 15-minute…

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Thai Airways Updated Cabins By Priestmangoode

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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Cathay Pacific End Their 747 Route To London

The end of December 2013 marks an historic moment for Cathay Pacific Airways as it bids farewell to its Boeing 747-400s. Proud to have one of the youngest fleet in the world, the airline has announced that it will operate the fuel efficient and environmentally beneficial Boeing 777-300ER on all of its London flights in…

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Cathay Pacific Revamp Their Award Winning First Class

Cathay Pacific have recently been injecting time and effort into ensuring their cabin products stay at the forefront of people’s minds. The award winning first class suite, first seen onboard in 2007 wasn’t in need of a redesign, instead, a refresh was all that was needed to keep the cabin a premium product in almost…

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Interview With Simon Lloyd, Virgin’s Newest Secret Weapon

thedesignair.net interview with Simon Lloyd Marketing Director, Virgin Atlantic I was lucky enough to grab some time between meetings with a very busy Simon Lloyd, Marketing Director for Virgin Atlantic on the VS045 headed to New York. After sipping on some champagne and savouring a brilliant burger in the ever award winning Clubhouse in Terminal…

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British Airways Big British Flash Flop?

Today, British Airways broadcast on its social networking sites, “A Big British Flashmob” to promote their new Moscow route. BA partnered with VisitBritain to promote the new flights, flown on their 747. This is cleverly timed, due to competition from low cost carrier easyJet, who have also won the rights to the route. The video,…

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TRIP REPORT: Virgin Atlantic Upper Class

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Report Flight: VS043 Aircraft Type: B747-400 Class: Upper Class (Premium Business Class) Route: LGW – LAS Date: 18th September 2012 Best for: Style-conscious gadget-lovers and movie stars. Most likely to sit next to: Someone that either has been in a movie, owns a media company or is equally as cool as…

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