Following ANA’s announcement that it was going to launch a new airline brand back in 2020, details have emerged today of how this brand will look. Dubbed ‘AirJapan’, ANA’s new carrier is “a new airline brand for medium-haul international routes.” Air Japan is actually just one part of ANA’s transformation of its business model to…
Read MoreAirline cabins and hotels that are giving us wanderlust right now
While the team are doing their bit to help fight this pandemic and staying indoors, it’s also making us a little stir crazy as our wings have been clipped, at least for the coming weeks or months. Like many others out there, we’ve been finding ourselves going through our archives, going online and longing for…
Read MoreANA makes huge improvements to passenger experience in Haneda, including Kengo Kuma inspired lounges
The end of the month will see ANA welcome the addition of a range of new services at Haneda Airport Terminal 2’s international area. The airline has invested in passenger enhancements across the terminal including three new lounges, self-service baggage drops and enhanced security check procedures. While we won’t be seeing these bursting at the…
Read MoreTheDesignAir round-up: 10 things we’ve loved in 2019
2019 has seen yet another year of great innovation, new products, new airlines, new lounges and new airport facilities across the globe. It just goes to show how quickly the industry continues to evolve and respond to the ever-increasing needs of an airline passenger. Just before this year, or even this decade, comes to a…
Read MoreAnnouncing the winners of TheDesignAir awards 2019
TheDesignAir is thrilled to announce the 2019 award winners as voted for by our esteemed judging panel and our readers. Year after year, we see more improvements and enhancements across the passenger experience, from narrow to wide bodies to lounges and airports around the globe. We showcase the 2019 winners here.
Read More5 great upgraded Business Class cabins already flying in 2019
2019 has already seen a wealth of new product launches and new aircraft deliveries. This means that passengers are starting to experience the latest wave in business class seats and cabins across the globe. While there are many more exciting products on the horizon from Emirates‘ Premium Economy product through to Lufthansa’s new 777 business…
Read MoreANA to open its new Okinawa lounge next week
All Nippon Airways is set to open its renovated lounge at Okinawa (Naha) Airport on September 3rd 2019. The newly revamped lounge, situated in Naha – one of Japan’s most southerly and tropical islands – is approximately 2.5 times larger and includes yet more seating space. The changes, which follow the new design palette recently…
Read MoreANA launches awesome new luxury cabins in collaboration with famed Japanese architect and British design team Acumen
We are in awe by the latest developments at ANA (All Nippon Airways). The airline has just announced its collaboration with famed architect Kengo Kuma and leading British designers Acumen to roll out a total of twelve completely redesigned Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in time for the Tokyo 2020 games. The first redesigned (premium-heavy) aircraft will…
Read MoreANA Launch Revamped Seats On Domestic Flights
ANA is in the process of making a series of comprehensive changes to the seats on domestic and international aircraft as part of its strategy to remain at the forefront of hospitality and passenger comfort for every type of flyer. The renovations will improve the Economy Class product while also increasing the number of Premium…
Read MoreANA To Launch Route Specific Safety Video For Hawaii Routes… Of Course It Features Turtles.
While it hasn’t been launched yet, All Nippon Airways has produced a cute one-off in-flight safety video and a deplaning video specifically for its flights between Tokyo (both Haneda and Narita) and Honolulu. Expanding on the very specially branded route for the airline, it features three distinct characters (Lani, Kai and Lā) – modelled after the Airbus…
Read MoreHonu, The World’s Largest Flying Turtle, Leaves The Paintshop
Yes, that’s right, ANA’s first ‘Flying Honu’ is almost headed to the skies, with the airline’s first A380 rolling out of the printshop last week. Japan’s largest airline put on a big show in Hamburg as the behemoth revealed itself from its hangar. The new plane is Japan’s first Airbus A380 and sports a Hawaiian green…
Read MoreANA Plans On Upgrades for Domestic Lounges
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is moving forward with a plan to “raise the bar on customer service” even higher. ANA is well known for an internationally-high standard excellence in hospitality, so there is no surprise that the airline wants to upgrade its domestic lounges at Itami, Fukuoka and Naha Airports, which will be redesigned in…
Read MoreANA Goes Kabuki With New Safety Video
After three years of the current incarnation, ANA is just about to release a brand new inflight safety video. Following the trend of departing from the standard dry information piece, the airline has injected an element of humour and locale by utilising the historic Japanese cultural form of Kabuki theatre. The video will be shown…
Read MoreANA’s Continued Passion For All Things Cosmic Includes New Space Food On Narita-Houston Flights
A not-so-long time away on an airline far, far away, ANA brings a brand new menu on their Narita-Houston flights. While the airline has been courting the last frontier for the past few years with their Star Wars themed aircraft (forgive the cross-sci-fi reference) the carrier has just announced a range of space food that…
Read MoreANA Reveals New Lounge In Honolulu, Specifically Designed For A380
ANA have revealed the next stage of their unique A380 Flying Honu service between Japan and Honolulu. Honolulu’s Ewa concourse is going to see a brand new lounge featuring an ornate carved wooden tree ceiling, specifically for ANA with direct lounge access to the aircraft for their Business and First Class passengers. As well as…
Read MoreANA Shows Off New Flying Honu A380 Interior Product
ANA announced the features of Japan’s first Airbus A380, launching in spring 2019. This aircraft will be introduced on ANA’s Tokyo – Honolulu service, and each cabin is specially designed to meet the passenger’s needs on this very bespoke route. Honolulu is loved by many Japanese families, couples, newlyweds, and Hawaii is a popular destination for…
Read MoreANA Opens New Lounges In Sapporo
ANA has recently opened its brand new ANA Suite Lounge and the renovation of the ANA domestic lounge at the Sapporo (New Chitose) airport, which celebrates the local landscape and culture. “The overall design concept of the new lounges is ‘Ichigo ichie’ which translates as ‘treasure every encounter as if it were once in a…
Read MoreC-3PO Will Fly For The First Time Courtesy Of ANA
ANA announced today that it will reveal another new Star Wars themed aircraft to its fleet, adding to its three existing planes that have Star Wars characters as livery. The latest droid to grow wings is C-3PO, one of the only characters to be featured in every single Star Wars film so far. As part of the…
Read MoreANA’s BB-8 Jet Touches Down In A Land Far Far Away (Los Angeles)
Monday 28th March 2016 marked the arrival of the Star Wars BB-8 ANA Jet in Los Angeles International Airport. The third and final of the three Star Wars Jets from ANA is a 777, painted in the colours of the newest droid to the Star Wars franchise, BB-8. Like the other Star Wars Jets by ANA,…
Read MoreANA’s Seven UK Samurai Chefs Announced
ANA’s hunt for seven talented British chefs to take off on a unique trip to Japan to learn the secrets of the country’s legendary cuisine has taken another step forward. The chefs have now been whittled down to ANA’s seven ‘Samurai Chefs.’ The up-and-coming chefs from the UK, were whisked across to Japan for an immersive culinary…
Read MoreANA’s R2D2 Jet Uses The Force to Transport Stars Between The ‘Star Wars’ Premieres
The world went crazy this week as Star Wars Premiered in Los Angeles. Part of the action were ANA who’s partnership with the Star Wars franchise runs deep. The force certainly is strong with ANA. Japan’s largest airline shuttled the cast and crew of Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens from the World Premiere in Hollywood on Monday…
Read MoreANA Go Full Force With Their 787 Last Week In Brussels & Tatooine(?!)
Japanese carrier ANA have been having some fun with their 787 recently, both playing Star Wars with some avid sci-fi aficionados and also launching their new Brussels flight with a 787 service. On October 17, 2015, the R2-D2 ANA JET Fan Appreciation Flight event was held at Haneda Airport. A total of 91 passengers were selected—42 chosen from…
Read MoreANA Get Into The Rugby World Cup Spirit In London
Ok, so we admit we aren’t the biggest sporting fans, but we do like it when an airline gets into the spirit of supporting their nations’ teams. Historically both Qantas and Air New Zealand show national pride in their sporting prowess, however, after Japan’s surprising victory over South Africa, ANA took over London’s Piccadilly Circus…
Read MoreANA R2D2 787 Rolls Out Of Hangar
We’ve been waiting a while for this, but we’re over the moon. Literally. The R2-D2 ANA Jet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, rolled-out from the Boeing Everett Factory for the first time this morning. The R2-D2 ANA Jet is the first of three planes to be decorated with Star Wars characters as part of an agreement between ANA,…
Read MoreR2D2 Gets Some Friends Courtesy of ANA
“My parts are showing? Oh, my goodness.” Excellent news Jedis. Japan’s largest airline ANA announced that two more of its planes will be decorated with Star Wars characters as part of an agreement with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd. BB-8, a brand new character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens scheduled for theatrical release in December 2015, will be displayed on the…
Read MoreANA Introduce A New Connection Between Europe & Australia
Premium Japanese carrier ANA has announced they will be introducing their super-spacious 787-9 Dreamliner on a brand new Tokyo Haneda – Sydney route on December 11th this year. Whilst this new non-stop flight is still subject to governmental approval, passengers on the ever-popular Kangaroo route will welcome the news of increased competition and enhanced products…
Read MoreTheDesignAir’s Top 10 Airline Uniforms 2015
This month we celebrate all things fashion. Our Top 10 airline uniforms for 2015 are a real feast for the eyes. This is one category where product from 40 years ago is still pitched against the very latest products on the market, and some of these products really do stand the test of time. We…
Read MoreANA’s Kin To Star Wars
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…
Read MoreANA Reinforce Their Foodie Credentials With Latest Partnership
It was announced this week that Japanese carrier ANA and Noma, critically acclaimed as one of the world’s “best restaurants,” have partnered to offer global travelers the ‘Inspiration of Japan’. Motivated by shared core values and a vision to provide their guests with world-class, genuine and heartfelt hospitality, the partnership is a celebration and amalgamation of…
Read MoreANA Introduces New Prabal Gurung Uniforms
We love ANA and their constant reinvention of their inflight product. The latest news, of the unveiling of their new flight attendant and customer service uniforms, is a welcome sight. Created by New York fashion designer Prabal Gurung, whose designs have been worn by First Lady Michelle Obama, the Duchess of Cambridge and Lady Gaga, the uniforms reflect…
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