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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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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Air New Zealand is no stranger to alternative, promotional safety videos. Yet today they’ve launched their most restrained and geographically respectful video yet in partnership with Tourism New Zealand. Dubbed ‘Aotearoa, the 8th Wonder of the World’ the safety video is reflective of the current climate, helping support the domestic tourism industry. The video features the…
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This month saw Qantas and Air New Zealand both launch new safety videos. While both have taken different approaches, the premise of celebrating their national heritage and importance in their market is what ties them together. Qantas Qantas, who is celebrating its centenary – no mean feat in the current aviation climate – takes a…
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Air New Zealand has a fairly unique proposition, offering daily ultra long-haul flights across the globe while catering to a home country with just half the population of London. As such, its had to innovate to remain at the top of it’s game, and has already rolled out products like the (short-lived) Premium Economy Spaceseat,…
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There is good reason why Air New Zealand has recently won the Sustainable Business Leadership award at the Deloitte Top 200 awards in Auckland. It is constantly innovating in their small, but powerful community on the global stage. One of the best examples is how the airline is addressing the fact is serves more than…
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Christmas is well and truly upon us, and with that comes a wave of Festive Airline videos. Perhaps the funniest of these out there right now comes from social media savvy carrier Air New Zealand. Poking innocent fun of New Zealand’s particular accent, Santa struggles to understand the gift requests. Titled “A Very Merry Mistake”…
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Another year, another safety video. Air New Zealand have brought a brand new aesthetic to their latest video, with both Katie Holmes and Cuba Gooding Jr. acting as ‘god like’ creators, presenting New Zealand as a destination that has to be experienced to be believed. “It’s a land of stunning beauty, magical places and friendly…
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2015 has been an impressive year with many carriers taking advantage of the lowered oil prices to invest heavily into their passenger experience both on the ground and in the air. We take a look at the best carriers around the world that have caught our attention this year. We offer a retrospective of the…
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Air New Zealand has continued its legacy of leading the safety video meme after releasing yet another cinematic masterpiece for its onboard safety videos. The carrier teamed up with the All Blacks and an all-star line-up of international rugby greats to tackle the airline’s latest on board safety video, Men in Black Safety Defenders. Inspired by Men in Black,…
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We sense a disturbance in the air… and we love it! We all remember how cool it was when we learned R2-D2 could fly, and well, it’s happening again. All Nippon Airways announced today it will introduce a very special Star Wars livery, with the iconic (and only true link to all Star Wars movies) R2-D2, on its newest…
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We are pleased to announce our Top 10 economy classes for 2015. The last 18 months have changed the landscape for economy class travel, with passengers around the world benefiting from new aircraft, new products and increased inflight entertainment options. While there are some new entrants into our list this year, the competition was tougher than ever, due to an increasingly…
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This month TheDesignAir takes a look at everything that airlines should be. Airlines we want to travel with, and are going above and beyond to create something truly unique in the sky. Our judges have voted and, interestingly, our top 10 all fit within just a 6 percent margin, and, yet again, we haven’t been able to just fit in 10…
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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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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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Holy smokes, another safety video from Air New Zealand? Hell, why not? The previous, dubbed “Safety Old School Style” features America’s sweetheart comedienne Betty White and a cast of golden oldies. Past Air New Zealand safety video hits have included the Hobbit-themed ‘An Unexpected Briefing’, ‘Fit to Fly’ starring fitness guru Richard Simmons and more recently…
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Welcome to our Top 10 destinations of 2014, the list of 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, the best new routes or the hottest hotels to stay in. So without further ado, here’s the…
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This year there have been many new lounges appearing around the world. Each offering a unique level of luxury and identity that has meant a broad and interesting collection of spaces in a variety of spaces. Excellent spaces that didn’t make the list, but should still be commended, include Virgin America’s ‘The Loft‘ in LAX,…
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With the premiere of the latest in the Hobbit franchise being one of the most talked about tickets this month, it is no surprise that one airline has gone a little Hobbit crazy. Perhaps the World’s biggest fan of Tolkein’s works, Air New Zealand has celebrated the new film with another of their special Lord…
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We love a bit of online viral marketing, and three airlines this week have really taken the internet by storm. If you have been living under a stone for the last few days, here’s a catch up for you to take your dinner party conversation to a whole new level. The three airlines in question…
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We were very excited to receive a press release this morning from Air New Zealand, it showed in full glory the new 787-9 interiors, and their first routes. Initially flying on the Auckland – Perth route, as more aircraft join the fleet it will then start flying Auckland – Tokyo, Auckland – Shanghai, and also…
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Our friends, and one of our favourite airlines, Air New Zealand are no stranger to producing safety videos, in fact they produce a new one with alarmingly increasing regularity. The latest, dubbed “Safety Old School Style” features America’s sweetheart comedienne Betty White and a cast of golden oldies. Past Air New Zealand safety video hits have included…
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Our friends Australian Business Traveller announced on their site today that Qantas is bringing another of it’s iconic Aboriginal ‘DreamTime’ Jets online. The airline says its new Boeing 737-800 will feature the work of a well-known (but as yet un-named) West Australian indigenous artist, and will be painted in its Dreamtime colours at Boeing’s factory in Seattle…
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Time for a game of spot the difference! An authority in livery design (and a good friend of ours here at thedesignair.net), Remy Chevarin, has created a very elegant alternative solution to the new livery for Air New Zealand which we showcased (and liked) when it was released back in June. Perhaps it will take you…
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Starting our series of competitive routes around the world, we are breaking down the details of what each airline has to offer to help you find the perfect airline for you for your trip. To start with, we are looking at Los Angeles to London Heathrow. In this post we are looking at the business…
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It seems August is the month to get married, if you live in New Zealand. Two Airlines, Fiji Airways and Air New Zealand are both promoting the fact they have people getting hitched at 40,000 ft this month. Both have gone for new record breaking statistics… Fiji Airways To mark its brand launch, Fiji Airways,…
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Oh dear. Sometimes a Facebook page isn’t such a good idea. Last week Air Canada showcased images of their new cabin on their Facebook page. As we reported back in February, the new 777-300 they have brought to their fleet was been configured in what can only be described as a step above “sardine tin”.…
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As it’s 4th of July, we thought we would bring you a little bit of Americana to the site today. We have highlighted 4 excellent reasons to book a ticket to the US right now. 1. British Airways & Los Angeles Why British Airways? British Airways accepted it’s first A380 today, with much media hype…
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The livery Air New Zealand is the latest airline to revisit and refresh their livery, in a recent flood of new livery designs. Their new livery (as announced earlier today by our antipodean friends at Australian Business Traveller) follows their original idea to change to an all-black tail and typeface treatment, something that they originally…
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We are pleased to announce our Top 10 economy classes for 2013. We have scoured the world for airlines that have really shown us something truly special. Whilst many airlines didn’t make the list, we’d like to state that generally over the past 12 months, we have seen airlines around the world innovate and renovate…
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