Long-haul Cathay passengers transiting through Hong Kong Airport may find the airline’s latest addition to their Pier Lounge a welcome haven to stretch and relax during their journey. Designed in partnership with The Pure Group, The Sanctuary by Pure Yoga is a 700 square-foot area divided into two zones – The Body Sanctuary, which is…
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Hong Kong Airlines just received its latest A350, and with it, the next evolution of its premium experience, unveiling a newly upgraded Business Class seat. This new seat rivals that of Cathay Pacific and here at TheDesignAir we actually prefer the Super Diamond product compared to Cathay Pacific’s due to its increased space and storage…
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China Airlines has won countless awards from TheDesignAir over the years due to its constant drive to quantum leap their cabin product. Now at a truly international level, the airline is investing in to new dining concepts that both innovate and get the taste buds going. This summer, China Airlines is introducing a number of…
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Last week, Hanoi-based FLC Group launched the brand design of upstart carrier Bamboo Airways. Aviation design studio LIFT Strategic Design won a global competition to develop the airline’s brand, including logo, livery and cabin interior. Daniel Baron, LIFT’s CEO, said: “we are thrilled to be working with FLC Group and Bamboo Airways on this unique…
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Flight: UL506 Aircraft Type: A330-300 Class: Business Class Route: LHR-CMB Date: February 2018 http://www.srilankan.com SriLankan Airlines recently added two daytime flights per week from London to Colombo, flying on Saturdays and Sundays, providing better connections and more convenient departure times. This now makes the airline even more attractive to passengers looking for one-stop carriers between London and the Maldives, Sri…
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Malaysia Airlines this week saw the launch of its new A350 product on its prestigious London route, with plans for it to replace the A380 product by March 2018. While this will see a capacity decrease, it will see a more contemporary product on the route, including a very intimate First Class cabin of just…
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This week saw the announcement of a new, smart and sophisticated design flourish to Finnair’s business and economy cabins. Supporting the new fabrics and amenity kit designs in business class, is a new service concept, allowing passengers to eat on demand. Inspired by pure essentials, Nordic design and meaningful encounters, Finnair’s new service concept will offer a wider range of dining and…
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This week American Express announced the expansion of its signature airport lounge network, The Centurion Lounge, with two new locations in Hong Kong and Philadelphia International Airports. Hong Kong, which opened this week, marks the first Centurion lounge in Asia, and Philadelphia, opening in late October, marks the 8th U.S. location of this brand. “We are…
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September saw the launch of Garuda Indonesia’s high-quality signature dishes of Chef Agus Hermawan. For the next four months, on the non-stop route from Amsterdam to Jakarta, Executive Manager of Ron Gastrobar Indonesia – one of the 5 top restaurants of Master Chef Ron Blaauw – will star in the airline’s Business Class menus. Garuda Indonesia…
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Following the opening of the airport VIP lounge “Club Bauhinia” in 2014, Hong Kong Airlines has taken premium customer services to the next level by investing HK$35 million in the construction of “Club Autus”, a brand new VIP lounge located on the seventh floor of the Midfield Concourse at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Design…
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This week saw Cathay, Qantas and British Airways launch a wave of new flights, adding options and increasing the oneworld global network. British Airways has added to its Gatwick leisure network by introducing Toronto and re-establishing Las Vegas in direct competition to Virgin Atlantic’s city pair. This now means BA serves Las Vegas from both…
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Following the latest trend of airlines taking their safety videos outside of the airline cabin, Singapore Airlines has unveiled its new version, which takes viewers on a panoramic journey across various locations in Singapore. This trend acts as a postcard, enticing people to stay and explore a city often used as a stop-over on…
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Hainan Airlines has elevated its uniform to unparalleled heights with the introduction of the new Laurence Xu designs, which were revealed at Paris Couture Week two days ago.
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Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: April 2017 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines has certainly caught our attention recently. In our first report on the airline’s short-haul product, they impressed us with a region-beating business class product. As part of our three part series we were happy to explore their signature long haul product, which stars in their latest…
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Groundbreaking has commenced on Seletar’s new airport terminal building in Singapore. In two years time the airport will welcome a new space that will play host to regional flights, reducing the demand on Changi’s main International airport. The construction of the new terminal is the next stage of the renewal of Seletar Airport. Redevelopment of…
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Vietnam Airlines yesterday launched their brand new A350 wide body aircraft on the Ho Chi Minh – Hanoi route as a way of getting their crew used to the new aircraft product before rolling out on long haul routes in a matter of weeks. The airline has improved its long haul products in a bid…
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So you may have guessed we’ve been travelling recently with China Airlines, and for good reason. The Airline’s NextGen program to reinject life into the quieter of the Asian airlines has been nothing short of impressive. The latest element to join this facelift, is the new lounge in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 1, situated where…
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It’s been a while, but we are continuing our comparison reports on some of the most popular and competitive routes in the world. In the midst of our recent travel planning we noticed the great variety of carriers travelling between Hong Kong and Bangkok. There are 9 main competitors that run the city pair, formed of Thai Airways, Emirates, Sri…
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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. What is interesting for our Top 10 International business classes 2014 is the wide ranging percentage scores within the top…
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Lufthansa have been working on a new premium economy product for the past few years and have just announced they are to be introduced into their long haul fleet. Seen globally as a huge success since the invention from Virgin Atlantic, in 1992, many airlines now offer a class between economy and business class, as…
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Royal Brunei has just announced the latest in their branding developments at the new and improved airline. Today was the announcement of their new cabin crew uniforms, replacing the older (and bolder) red and yellow uniforms. The new uniforms follow the traditional Brunei fashion, and as stated by the airline, “the new collection reflects tradition,…
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We were lucky today to be given an exclusive tour of one Hawaiian Airlines‘ two new A330 aircraft, parked at the gate at Honolulu airport. Just a few weeks old the latest aircraft to join the fleet, Keoe, showcases the brand new interior that will soon be introduced to the entire A330 fleet. Set to…
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Flight: FJ811 Aircraft Type: A330-200 Class: Business Class Route: LAX-NAN Date: 6th February 2014 http://www.fijiairways.com Best for: Savvy passengers who can afford to spend a little more to start their holiday early, and fight off the jetlag. Most likely to sit next to: Anyone from a seasoned traveller top-to-toe in Linen luxury, to a marine biologist connecting on to Sydney. Business or…
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Thanks to our friends at Australian Business Traveller, we can share the latest news from Asia LCC Scoot. Singapore Airlines’ low-cost offshoot will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 in November this year and shift to an all-Boeing 787 fleet by the middle of 2015 as the airline seeks to parlay the Dreamliner’s increased fuel…
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Hong Kong Express may have been around for a while now, but it is finally pushing itself away from Hong Kong Airlines who until just recently shared an almost identical livery. As Hong Kong Express pushes itself forward as a true LCC, it was time to shake off its previous image and embrace something new.…
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At thedesignair.net we are great fans of Cathay Pacific’s product. The seamless experience is effortless and well considered. From their onboard product to their lounges, attention to detail seems paramount, and it’s this design ethos that has put them at the top of the Lounges 2013. We take a closer look at their lounges, and…
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Sister Airline to the award winning Cathay Pacific; Dragonair, the regional / medium-haul carrier has just announced its cabin offerings to lift the airline’s level of luxury. The most recent announcement is the launch of their First Class offering. If the seat looks familiar, that is because it is identical to Cathay Pacific’s new long-haul…
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Royal Brunei, when we reported on their new livery and look a while ago, didn’t inspire us too much, their artists impressions made the aircraft look flat and badly proportioned. Now we like to think they saw our comments and made a few tweaks, but realistically, we know that the aircraft reality and artists impressions can…
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Continuing our comparison reports on some of the most popular and competitive routes in the world, we have taken a look at our Asian super-highway between Singapore and Tokyo-Narita. There are 5 main competitors (plus low-cost Scoot) that run the city pair, including ANA, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Delta and United. To make it easy we have…
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We released just the other day the news of the new Cathay Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport. But for those unfortunate folks not travelling on Cathay or a OneWorld carrier shouldn’t dismay! Plaza Premium’s latest lounge in Hong Kong, which is a pay-as-you-go lounge is open to all travellers at the airport for a…
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