Hawaiian Airlines has finally introduced an elevated standard of leisure travel, inspired by early Polynesian voyages, with the unveiling of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner interior and much anticipated new class of premium service – the Leihōkū Suites. Guests onboard Hawaiian’s 787 – entering service beginning early next year on select routes – will be immersed…
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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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The news of a new narrow-body interior for a flag-carrier in South East Asia usually would usually find other carriers across the world become a little more nervous, as expectations of a premium passenger experience adds pressure to enhance their own offerings. We’ve seen in the past few years new flatbeds in Singapore Airlines narrowbodies,…
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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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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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Alaska Airlines isn’t shy of special liveries. In fact, its first ‘Salmon Thirty Salmon’ livery – which celebrated the airline’s involvement with the shipment of the precious and tasty cargo –was so popular it returned in 2012. While the airline isn’t the only US carrier to adorn their aircraft with marine life, with Southwest also…
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Today saw Singapore Airlines officially launch its highly-anticipated new 737 cabin products, which will be rolled out on its Boeing 737-8 fleet in the coming weeks. Since the airline merged SilkAir back in to Singapore Airlines, there’s been a lot of anticipation on how the airline can match its impressive long-haul product with a short…
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Tomorrow, Qatar Airways will see the first flight by its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner passenger aircraft, featuring its much anticipated new Adient Aerospace ‘Ascent’ Business Class Suite. The aircraft will operate on a number of key routes to Europe and Asia, starting with its Doha to Milan service followed by Doha to Athens, Barcelona, Dammam,…
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Qatar Airways is seen as one of the ‘true’ Five Star airlines in the world and it has worked hard over the past decade to position itself as a true luxury carrier. At the heart of its recent efforts is the airline’s QSuite, a Flagship product that only a few carriers have managed to surpass…
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For the foreseeable future, we’re going to be seeing fewer special liveries while airlines try to save cash and focus on a service return, so those rare few that do roll out will certainly garner some attention now. Qatar Airways is one of the first in this period to reveal a special livery, and naturally,…
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Friday July 17, 2020 saw another casualty due to the Coronavirus. British Airways announced that its fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft, also known as ‘The Queen of the Skies’, are likely to have flown their last scheduled commercial service. While that might not mean ‘never-ever’, unless there is an unprecedented swing back to normality the…
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We’re starting to see some positive stories across the industry now, focussing on a return to service and a return to growth. From Wizz’s latest route announcements, to design agencies and airlines setting up their near-future solutions to Covid-19. However, American Airlines’ latest 787 deliveries re-energise a positive conversation about cabin releases on the horizon.…
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Vistara, India’s latest full-service carrier, unveiled its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (a first for India), which touched down in Delhi on 29 February 2020. While the plane is Vistara’s 40th to join the fleet, as the rest of the fleet are narrow-body aircraft, this arrival also brought with it, the airline’s new cabin products for…
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LATAM’s 25th Boeing 787 took off for the first time from Santiago International Airport yesterday as flight LA750 to São Paulo, Brazil. The group received the new aircraft last week at Boeing’s Delivery Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Not only is this the 25th 787-9, but this is the first Boeing 787 to feature LATAM’s…
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British Airways this week announced that it will take delivery of its first of 12 brand new 787-10 Dreamliner in January 2020, with its first route being Atlanta in February next year. It will be quickly followed by a further five Dreamliners in the same year. The four-class aircraft will feature the same exclusive eight…
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Flight: TK67 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class Route: DPS-IST Date: September 2019 http://www.turkishairlines.com It’s not a secret that Turkish Airlines has one of the best soft products in the sky. From our previous reports, we’ve always been impressed with the food & drink, amenities and IFE system onboard their aircraft, but the B777 and A330 hard products in business…
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Turkish Airlines’ first 787-9 aircraft will arrive in just a matter of days at the airline’s new Istanbul hub. The aircraft is not only a new member of the fleet made up of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, but also features brand new interior products, brought to life by London based studio Priestmangoode. Revealed on twitter,…
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Flight: WY103 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class Route: MCT-LHR Date: March 2019 http://www.omanair.com After our outbound trip in Oman Air’s outstanding First Class product, it was time to return home and give the equally impressive Business Class a run for its money. While the Apex Suite is a seasoned favourite for many travellers, it is interesting to see how this…
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Many people in the industry will have heard of Anthony Harcup. Having led some of the industry’s most significant aircraft interior developments for the likes of Etihad, Delta, and JetBlue, Harcup recently joined Teague to help develop the team’s growing list of airline customers. Tasked with further developing the team and enriching industry relationships, he’s…
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Flight: WY102 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: First Class Route: LHR-MCT Date: March 2019 http://www.omanair.com Oman Air has long been on our radar to offer a trip report. Its careful positioning as a boutique carrier based in the Middle East doesn’t mean it is one of the big and bold ME3, but it is certainly pushing the envelope when it comes…
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BOAC is back! No, not really, but perhaps it should be. This simple yet stunning retrojet livery has been rolled out by British Airways to celebrate its centenary which it is enjoying this year. While the aircraft has been much-anticipated by avgeeks across the UK and further afield, the reveal wasn’t a disappointment. Large crowds…
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Believe it or not, the 777 toilet may not be one of the most talked about parts of the passenger experience, but it hasn’t really changed since the 777 came to service decades ago. So step ahead 24 years and it’s about time that a company is offering a brand new concept to the aircraft’s…
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Flight: LA8084 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: GRU-LHR Date: January 2019 http://www.latam.com LATAM‘s 777 has long been on our radar to experience. While we had experienced the 787-8 operated by LAN back in 2015, the 777 offered a very different experience, with a traditional 2 x 3 x 2 configuration in business class with the ‘dreaded’ middle seat. While…
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TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the 2018 Award winners as voted for by our esteemed judging panel and our readers. This year has seen a wave of improvements around the world in the field of passenger experience. From impressive new business class cabins to swathes of new airline lounges, no stone has been left unturned…
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Both China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines are receiving new cabin products for their latest generation aircraft deliveries. Shanghai Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner arrived at the Hongqiao International Airport, delivered to China Eastern’s affiliated Shanghai Airlines to become the carrier’s 100th aircraft. The new aircraft will initially serve domestic routes between Shanghai and Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. After that,…
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Flight: GF2 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class (Flacon Gold) Route: LHR-BAH Date: October 2018 http://www.gulfair.com Gulf Air used to be one of the leading carriers in the Gulf region, however, bold upstarts like Emirates quickly stole the crown, with heavy investment in new aircraft and a fairly courageous growth plan, leaving Gulf Air with a lacklustre, dated product that…
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Bula Kadavu! This week saw Fiji Airways receive their first Boeing 737 Max aircraft. With a total of five on the order books, the airline is looking to supplement their NG fleet with these more fuel efficient aircraft, featuring sky interiors, and by the looks of the hump on the back of the aircraft, connectivity too.…
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Meet Fakarava, recently rolled out of the paint shop. It’s Air Tahiti Nui’s first ‘Tahitian Dreamliner’ which will start flying for the carrier in November between New Zealand and Tahiti. It features a new livery concept by Futurebrand which stems from the rebrand from Tahitian Studio Alexander Lee. It could possibly be the most beautiful Dreamliner…
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Emirates has seen the successful launch of its new route to Santiago de Chile, Chile, a mammoth 20+ hour trip from its home hub in Dubai. Luckily the airline gives passengers a chance to stretch their legs in Sao Paulo, where the airline makes a stop over in both directions. Luckily the route is getting…
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There is good reason why Delta won both “Winner Best Design Airline North America 2017” and “Most Improved Airline” at our awards last year. The latest addition to their fleet, a retrofitted 777-200 is a prime example of how the airline is going above and beyond to offer a truly exceptional passenger experience. At the…
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