Here at DesignAir we’ve been a bit of a secret fan of Delta, as we have mentioned before, they are perhaps the most ‘European’ of all the carriers, with warm and friendly service, combined with a very decent hard product and good onboard menu, we’ve never had a bad flight with them. (Although we’ve heard…
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This 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…
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So Malaysia Airlines has extended it’s outstanding ‘Chef-On-Call‘ service (previously only available to first class and platinum frequent fliers) so that travellers in Business Class can now choose their meal 24 hours before travel on certain international routes, meaning their dining options are increased and freshly prepared for their flight. A passenger can now pick…
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When The Wing went under renovations late 2010, there were enough other lounges to accommodate their current passengers at Hong Kong’s International Airport. So perhaps most premium guests actually forgot about Cathay Pacific’s crown jewel. Luckily though, launched last week, is the brand new ‘The Wing’. Covering just under 1,700 sq meters, this a phenomenally…
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Hawaiian Airlines seems to be on a mission to be one of the coolest and biggest carriers in the pacific. Hawaiian’s latest endevour, designed to take on the new Island Air means business. Connecting the smaller islands of Molokai and Lanai to the other islands, a new fleet of turboprops will join the Hawaiian family, except…
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So 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.…
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Air Canada has announced an amazing 458 seat configuration 77w coming on the line in July this year, including a new premium economy product, something we announced back in May last year. The airline has really stepped up their offering (thankfully), providing a European style cabin to compete with the slightly inferior north American counterparts. We…
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Short on the heels of other Pacific long haul rival Fiji Airways, a designair favourite, Air Tahiti Nui has revealed that it is refitting it’s A340 long haul fleet starting in April this year with a brand new economy and Poerava business class product. Here at thedesignair, we are super excited, as the long trip from…
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When I first saw the post from Skyliners that there was a reveal of the new Iberia livery, I was hoping that it was just a mis-identified livery from some budding flight sim enthusiast. However, on notice that there was a physical photograph of the livery in work, my heart sank. Iberia in my opinion had one…
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So, finally the wait is over, and I have to admit, I’m not really surprised, many guessed a very similar treatment to the all new American Airlines livery, and many got it quite close. Now whilst the logo had been received to much fanfare, and much hype. I can’t help but feel utterly disappointed with…
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You might mistakenly thought the image here was of an AirBerlin aircraft, due to it’s pretty ‘samey’ appearance, but this is Air Canada‘s New Leisure Brand “rouge” (no, not a lipstick) very similar in concept to Qantas’ JetStar, launching from Toronto (and Montreal) mid 2013. Whilst this name might have taken most aviation buffs as a surprise,…
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As it’s coming up to Christmas and the Holiday Season, the airlines are starting to get in the festive spirit. Here are some Christmas videos to get you in the spirit before Santa comes to your house. Hope you’ve been good! And don’t forget, if you’ve been good this year, you can always watch Santa…
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Virgin 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.…
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It seems that Lufthansa’s pet project ‘Direct 4 U‘ has finally come to fruition, with a launch of the ‘new’ germanwings penned in for July 1st 2013. Germanwings’ old livery, of fake metallic, lurid yellow and deep burgundy is going, and is being replaced with a fairly decent and modern Euro-white livery that seems a lot more…
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With the recent update of both their AA IOS app, featuring slicker graphics, cleaner navigation and smaller more restrained typography; and the new check in kiosks starting appearing across the network with new updated graphics, it is clear to see that American have invested into a new brand. Safe to say it is more than…
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Virgin 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…
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Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Report Flight: VS023 Aircraft Type: A340-600 Class: Upper Class (Premium Business Class) Route: LHR – LAX Date: 02nd November 2012 Best for: Someone at home on the red-carpet… or an extra from ‘Made in Chelsea’. Most likely to sit next to: Fashion designers, Graphic Designers, Fergie and anyone with a second home in the Hollywood hills. Business…
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Virgin Atlantic have now finished their £100million upgrade of their Upper Class Experience, with the launch of their final renovation of the clubhouses, the Newark Lounge. Pieced together by the same creatives, Slade Architecture, that made the JFK Clubhouse, which ranked Number 2 in our Top 10 Lounges 2012, this clubhouse is leaps and bounds…
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The Delta website has always been better in many ways from its competitors, such as American or United. They have offered a clean contemporary look and design to their site for a while, and this reincarnation is no different. We have to say, it’s a truly good look to the site, which isn’t just skin…
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FastJet, the new low cost airline poised to take over Africa, spearheaded by Stelios, founder of easyJet, and the Fly540 airline team has launched their new brand look. The brand uses bright yellow and orange colours (but of course!) with a modern african triangular pattern and giant grey parrot head that appears on the tail…
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This 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…
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TAM 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…
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After the super-successful safety video viral that is going around the net right now, we take a look at the making of the safety video for Air New Zealand‘s latest 777 in-flight announcement. Produced by Weta NZ the same people that brought Gollum to Wellington Airport, ‘An Unexpected Briefing’ – inspired by the upcoming fantasy adventure…
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Air New Zealand rarely take their safety videos seriously. With most of them becoming viral hits on YouTube. From disco work-outs to naked cabin crew, the airline has had it all. They are also quick to get on the Middle Earth PR campaign that’s sweeping New Zealand leading up to the release of The Hobbit.…
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So Royal Brunei Airlines might be an airline you’ve heard of if you’ve been trying to get a cheap ticket on the ‘Kangaroo route’ (Australia to Europe) as they often offer cheaper fares than some counterparts. However, not many people know about it’s image. It seems Royal Brunei have leapt into the 21st Century with…
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By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com Cathay Pacific has unveiled its new amenity kits for Premium Economy Class passengers which feature exclusive designs by home-grown Hong Kong brand G.O.D. (which stands for Goods of Desire). Cathay says its design collaboration with G.O.D. took inspiration from the “vibrant culture of Hong Kong, where East meets West and age-old traditions blend with…
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Finnair‘s inflight product has always been efficient, clean and simple, perhaps seen by most as more ‘bland’ than ‘brand’. However, they have recently launched a brand new partnership with Finnish designer Marimekko to provide them with new table-wear and fabrics for their airline. Marimekko’s simple and elegant retro prints are all about great splashes of colour and…
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Virgin Atlantic won Best Airline Website at the Travolution awards this week, at a ceremony hosted in London. Virgin Atlantic is boasting a 15 per cent improvement in engagement of the UK homepage, with numbers of customers checking their flights increasing by 54 per cent and people checking out what Virgin Atlantic is about jumping…
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Next year will see the demise of the almost 19 hour flight that connects Singapore to Newark, New York as flown by Singapore Airlines A340-500 series aircraft. It’s not that the route isn’t doing well, it’s because Singapore are trading in their ageing models to be used against the purchase of 5 new A380’s and…
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Whilst 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…
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