Cathay Pacific have recently been injecting time and effort into ensuring their cabin products stay at the forefront of people’s minds. The award winning first class suite, first seen onboard in 2007 wasn’t in need of a redesign, instead, a refresh was all that was needed to keep the cabin a premium product in almost…
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Oh dear. Sometimes a Facebook page isn’t such a good idea. Last week Air Canada showcased images of their new cabin on their Facebook page. As we reported back in February, the new 777-300 they have brought to their fleet was been configured in what can only be described as a step above “sardine tin”.…
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Whilst Virgin Atlantic has been seen as a forward thinking leader in the airline field (although now with a wealth of other airlines also in the same field) it seems a nod to a bit of nostalgia is on the cards for their uniforms, which we announced a few months ago, are now designed by…
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Singapore Airlines has been the epitome of luxury for many years now. Many airlines look to the airline, not only for the product they have onboard, but the way that Singapore Airlines effortlessly conveys luxury and sophistication. Singapore Airlines has not failed to deliver on their latest incarnation of products which will replace the current fleets…
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The livery Air New Zealand is the latest airline to revisit and refresh their livery, in a recent flood of new livery designs. Their new livery (as announced earlier today by our antipodean friends at Australian Business Traveller) follows their original idea to change to an all-black tail and typeface treatment, something that they originally…
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Alaska Airlines this week revealed it’s latest unique livery for it’s fleet, designed by 17 year old Aaron Nee. The design was part of a competition run by the airline to create a livery that ‘honored the culture of the Aloha State’. Nee’s design was selected from among more than 2,700 submissions by students across the…
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We are pleased to announce our Top 10 economy classes for 2013. We have scoured the world for airlines that have really shown us something truly special. Whilst many airlines didn’t make the list, we’d like to state that generally over the past 12 months, we have seen airlines around the world innovate and renovate…
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Now that Batik Air, Lion Air’s latest ‘Premium’ venture, has been flying for a few weeks, we thought it best to take some time to take a look at this new carrier and what you can expect. Firstly, Let’s talk interiors. The whole premise of the airline is to fly passengers around the Asia region…
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Virgin Atlantic announced today they were going to launch a new uniform for the 7,500 staff that wear the Virgin brand, designed by British designer Dame Vivienne Westwood. The collaboration between the two British brands is a long-term partnership which will see a total re-design of the uniform across all areas. With original design and sustainability…
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Garuda Indonesia has had a resurgence in the past few years, and as part of their ‘Quantum Leap’ program announced last year, Garuda have re-launched both their first class product (whilst other carriers continue to remove their products) and ‘executive’ business class. Now available to purchase on their new 777 fleet, the product is of…
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KLM unveiled yesterday their brand new business class seat and cabin, which has been much anticipated for the last year. When it was announced that Hella Jongerius would be designing the cabin, there was much speculation that KLM would bring an entirely new concept to the cabin. However, from the images revealed, it seems she…
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thedesignair.net interview with Simon Lloyd Marketing Director, Virgin Atlantic I was lucky enough to grab some time between meetings with a very busy Simon Lloyd, Marketing Director for Virgin Atlantic on the VS045 headed to New York. After sipping on some champagne and savouring a brilliant burger in the ever award winning Clubhouse in Terminal…
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Today, British Airways broadcast on its social networking sites, “A Big British Flashmob” to promote their new Moscow route. BA partnered with VisitBritain to promote the new flights, flown on their 747. This is cleverly timed, due to competition from low cost carrier easyJet, who have also won the rights to the route. The video,…
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As JAL announced today that they were launching the JAL 777 ‘Sky Suite’ interior on their New York route as of May this year, we thought we would take a look at the new product that has already been rolled out on the London route as of January 2013. JAL has always been a solid…
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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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Whilst the world waits with baited breath for the new livery for AA, and all eyes are on the 777-300ER, the first frame to show the new livery, AA have released photos of the interior of the plane’s first class cabin instead of just CGI composites. Whilst rumours are rife amongst the industry of an announcement…
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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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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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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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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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There has been much in the way of rumor-mongering going on throughout the internet of American’s first 777-300ER’s paint scheme, as caught on camera by Russell Hill recently at Boeing’s Paine Field plant. What is visible on American’s registered (but not yet complete) aircraft, is an apparent solution to the new composite bodies that modern airliners…
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Now, if you have travelled on Brussels Airlines in business class recently, or one of Delta’s, or even Swiss for that matter, this wouldn’t come as news to you. As this seat is very similar to those offered by these other carriers. This new seating arrangement offered by Austrian Airlines, whilst saving space, gives everyone…
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As promised, here at DesignAir we evaluated airlines around the world to compile our definitive Top 10 list of Cool Airline Brands. Let us know if you agree, whether you think we’ve missed one, or what your top 10 would be at the bottom of the page! 10. Southwest Southwest Airlines could be seen as a…
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Southwest Airlines has always been seen as a fun-loving airline, with many people loving their light-hearted and easy going nature. Individual safety messages and character is encouraged to create a warm environment to put their passengers at ease. However, their latest incarnation of the female outfit, couldn’t be anything further from fun if it tried.…
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United Economy Report Flight: UA1717 Aircraft Type: B767-400 Class: Economy (Coach) Route: HNL – SFO Date: 26th September 2012 Best for: ‘Blandalised’ travelers, looking for a cheap seat, and nothing else. Most likely to sit next to: (on this route) An aging surfer dreaming of times gone by, or an armada of Japanese tourists. Business…
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Virgin Atlantic managed to top the polls in the CoolBrands List. The CoolBrands List has been running for 11 years and has featured the sexy red airline rather a lot. Sir Richard Branson’s airline was one of only two airlines to place, along with British Airways, However Virgin Atlantic placed 8th coolest brand in the…
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There is something to be said about UK advertising. It is some of the best in the world. Thomson’s latest advert currently screened on TV is somewhat reminiscent of the BA campaigns ‘To Fly to Serve’ seen on British TV before the Olympics. This move to nostalgia is quite common now, as coming out of a recession its…
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Dining: Qatar Airways has yet again, gone above and beyond to try and create a truly unique product to compete with it’s slightly larger Middle Eastern counterparts. Four International chefs have been drafted in to enhance and develop their First Class and Business Class menu offerings flying from Doha in Qatar. The award-winning Chef Ramzi Choueiri,…
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