Kuwait Airways reveals upgrades to brand image, including new uniforms

Kuwait Airways has recently announced a wave of enhancements across its passenger fleet on the A330-900neos as well as new uniforms, new routes and improvements to its lounge offering in Kuwait. While many of the improvements will only been see by a few travelling on the airline in the near future, one element will be…

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Air China introduces new Business Class seats on its A350s

Air China has just revealed images of its new A350 interiors, which feature the Recaro CL6720 seat in Business Class, something we reported back in 2021. These new seats replace the existing Super Diamond seats found on the rest of the A350 fleet, with a more condensed seating LOPA, yet the additional benefit of privacy…

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United opens new Club lounge in Chicago

As the first in a series of United Club locations to open in 2023, United has officially opened its new United Club lounge in Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 1, close to gate C10. Not to be confused with United’s Polaris lounges, the Club lounge is home to a range of new additions designed to elevate the…

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British Airways to retrofit new Club Suites into 787-8’s

British Airways announced that its 787-8 Dreamliners are the latest in the line to get some much needed love in regards to their business class product. While the majority of the fleet has already been updated, there’s still a few aircraft left with the original Yin-yang suites from the 2000’s, including the 787-8’s, 787-9’s and…

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Thank you for 2022. You can help support TheDesignAir for 2023

As 2022 draws to a close, we’ve seen the airline industry bounce back with a vengeance. The industry has proven itself as strong as ever, rebounding with new routes, new aircraft, new interiors and a sense of optimism once again. We have continued to see innovation, enhancements, and a renewed investment into the passenger experience.…

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Congratulations to TheDesignAir Award Winners, 2022

It’s with great pleasure TheDesignAir’s 10th annual award winners have been announced today, celebrating the very best in aviation design, brand and passenger experience from across the globe. We’re thrilled to see airlines once again investing in passenger experience and brand, and there have been many excellent entrants and shortlisted entries this year. We’re thrilled…

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Foster + Partners reveal striking new airport designs for a new Polish mega airport

A Foster + Partners and Buro Happold consortium has won the competition to design the new CPK airport between Warsaw and Łódź. “The pivotal project will act as a symbolic gateway to Poland, a 21st century transport interchange which brings together air, rail and road, while reflecting the country’s national identity and providing exceptional passenger experience,”…

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Inaugural Trip Report: Air New Zealand 787-9 Business Premier

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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American Airlines redesigns Admirals Clubs starting with Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan DCA airport

Now we aren’t saying AA’s existing lounges weren’t terrible, but apart from a handful, they weren’t much to write home about either. However the good news is that American Airlines has decided to up the ante with a redesign of its Admirals Club lounges across the United States. Customers will first experience the new look…

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A new sustainable, yet ultra-modern pier is coming to Zurich International Airport

June saw the announcement of a brand new pier at Zurich’s International Airport. After over 35 years in operation, Dock A has now reached the end of its life cycle and has to be replaced. In its place, will sit a brand new and stunning construction, brought to life by the teams at BIG, HOK…

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Air New Zealand’s Hangar 22 opens its doors to the future of ultra-long haul travel, and it’s spectacular

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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KLM (finally) introduces Premium Economy product, creating consistency across the alliance

Friday saw the announcement that KLM will finally introduce its own Premium Economy product, bringing the carrier in line with Air France, Delta and Virgin Atlantic, its strategic partners. Dubbed Premium Comfort Class, the product sits above its economy comfort product which is fundamentally an economy seat with a little more legroom, and below the…

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Air France takes its brand to new heights

Today saw Air France reveal a brand new Business Class product that will start to grace its 777-300ERs. It also revealed an exciting new ‘brand video’ to impart the new Air France brand to its global audience. At the heart of this regeneration lies its new business class seat, which is entirely new, although it…

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Wellness areas, new First Class… Qantas reveals details of its A350 Project Sunrise Aircraft

Today saw the official approval of Qantas’ long-awaited Project Sunrise, something that was postponed a few years due to COVID. With the announcement that the airline will order 12 A350-1000 aircraft capable of flying from Sydney direct to London and New York, which will see the longest and furthest flights in the world. But that…

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EXCLUSIVE: Norse launches bookings with unbelievable transatlantic fares

After many months of speculation, it seems that Norse Atlantic Airways is ready to disrupt the Transatlantic market. After checking the site this evening (28th April), TheDesignAir has revealed that Norse has now officially launched its booking engine and seems it will be commencing operations to JFK on 14th June. Now, its not news that…

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Delta’s Terminal 3 ‘Sky Way’ at LAX including new Sky Club is now open

A staggering 18 months ahead of schedule, the doors to the ‘Delta Sky Way’ at LAX is now open to customers. And when LAX customers visit the new Delta terminal, they’ll have more than just a streamlined check-in experience and new designer facilities to look forward to. The new Delta Sky Club at LAX, located on the…

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Stepping through the door. What Virgin Australia’s new invitation-only ‘Beyond’ lounge has to offer

The new incarnation of Virgin Australia has continued its previous tradition of offering a very special lounge to its most prestigious guests. Today saw the curtain lift on the airline’s long-awaited invitation-only private ‘Beyond Lounges’ in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, reserved for corporate partners, some high-status Velocity Frequent Flyer members and key opinion leaders throughout…

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Trip Report: Etihad 787-10 Business Class

Heading over to Abu Dhabi to experience Etihad’s brand new A350 I was able to also experience the carrier’s 787 for the very first time. While the product is now a few years old, it was useful to see how the product was still standing up against the competition and how the two products –…

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Holy Deckchairs Batman! Condor reveals stripey new livery and brand image

Condor revealed perhaps the bravest new livery and brand image today we’ve seen in a decade. Actively opting to shun its previous looks and celebrate its leisure market, the airline has adopted a bold new, deck chair and beach towel inspired (I kid you not) livery. No, it’s not April 1st, and we did have…

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Take a flight before you fly – with Turkish Airlines

If you’ve been in Turkish Airlines‘ business class lounge in Istanbul over the past few days, then you might be forgiven for thinking that Batman had parked one of is many vehicles in the lounge. However, this futuristic new machine, dubbed ‘Hezarfen’ is actually a flight simulator with a difference. Combining modern technology with inspiration…

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The new Premium Economy by SWISS is proof that good things come to those that wait…

Today we were invited to see the grand official reveal of SWISS’ latest product in an arsenal of improvements over the past few years. While the airline started with a range of improvements to its ground product and older A340 fleet a few years ago, the airline’s new Premium Economy has been a few years…

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TheDesignAir’s emerging trends for 2022

While 2022 is already underway, it seems that airlines are starting to emerge from hibernation, and with it, bringing a wave of passenger experience improvements from new cabin classes to new amenities. But what are the emerging trends we expect to see through 2022? Premium Economy wars As well as seeing new premium economy products…

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Finnair’s new long-haul product is a masterpiece in authentic residential-inspired design

It’s rare to find innovation in Business Class products in the past few years. Since the likes of Singapore Airlines’ new monocoque seats and Qatar Airways QSuites, many carriers are opting to customise off the shelf products, which naturally bring tried-and-tested comfort, but will never advance the passenger experience the same way that a truly…

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Ryanair updates its livery. Oops, sorry, we mean Icelandair.

To be honest, we’re not really that sure why Icelandair has done this, but it has decided to update and refresh its once elegant brand, simplifying and stripping back originality. Instead opting for a low-cost looking approach with large billboard titles and basic graphic tails. What’s more baffling is how Icelandair have positioned the dramatic…

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Delta kicks off 2022 with a new, more sustainable image

Delta is the latest airline to act upon its promises to become a more sustainable carrier in the future. While perhaps seen as small steps, by sheer volume, these amount to some substantial changes. Starting this month, the airline will refresh its onboard product offerings with artisan-made amenity kits, introduce recycled bedding, reusable and biodegradable…

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Lufthansa launches same Premium Economy product as Swiss, creating cross-group synergies

Lufthansa has already got a competitive Premium Economy seat, however the carrier saw it time to upgrade some of its fleet. While the ZIMmagic Premium Economy product from seat manufacturer ZIM already features on much of Lufthansa’s long haul fleet, the carrier has looked to both improve its product, and match the new Swiss Premium…

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New Air France amenity kits showcase sustainability progress

Air France has just released handsome new amenity kits for both Business Class and Premium Economy, however the most impressive story can be found in that they feature no less than 93% recycled materials. Unlike the materials used in Virgin Atlantic’s amenity kits, which clearly showcase its environmental credentials, Air France has taken a more…

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Could Northern Pacific take flight? If so, the Pacific will see another exciting livery in the skies

You won’t be blamed if you’ve not heard of Northern Pacific, however in the past few days it’s been making some waves as it seemingly is starting to ramp up its operations. There’s discussion of a launch event in Anchorage later in the month, where we’ll get to understand a little bit more about this…

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Thank you for 2021. You can help support TheDesignAir for 2022

As 2021 draws to a close, we’ve all seen disruption and resilience in aviation in equal measure. The industry has proven itself as strong as ever, facing multiple lockdowns, border closures, new strains and an ever changing landscape. We’ve seen airlines open new routes, shift to cargo, and even through the thick of the hardest,…

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Ten stories we loved in 2021

As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of our most popular stories on the site this year, as well a few of our own favourites too. Do let us know what were your own personal highlights too, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s to another exciting year in…

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