On December 5th, Alitalia welcomed its first new medium haul interior to match the new styling found in the airline’s long haul cabins. This starts the major cabin refurbishment of Alitalia’s short and medium fleet of 96 aircraft has begun with the project earmarked for completion by April next year. On average four aircraft are going to…
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For the sixth consecutive year, Alitalia has scooped best inflight cuisines in the skies according to the Global Traveler Awards 2015. We aren’t surprised by this announcement, as we were blown away by the cuisine found on a recent trip report which excelled on every level. Since their partnership with Etihad, the service offering has been improved…
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Emirates last week announced that all new 777-300ER and A380 deliveries will be outfitted with enhanced IFE screens and technology, allowing passengers to flick through a massive 4,300 hours of entertainment. That is virtually half a year non-stop of watching a TV, meaning it is practically impossible to watch the whole entertainment offering, even if…
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Cathay Pacific today opened the long awaited lounge for passengers travelling out of Taiwan Taoyuen International Airport. Located at Level 4 in the Departure Hall of Terminal 1, the newly renovated Taipei lounge adopts the airline’s new lounge design ethos that has already won praise from passengers in other key Cathay Pacific destinations within the region…
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Azul Brazilian Airlines, arguably the most modern of the Brazilian carriers, launched their new A330 cabins this October, including Azul Xtra (a fully fledged business class cabin), Economy Xtra (including the infamous Sky Sofa product) and their standard Economy cabin. Now flying to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale (Miami) from Sao Paulo’s Viracopos airport, Azul’s A330s will eventually…
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Hainan Airlines, one of Skytrax’s 7 exclusive five star carriers, announced on the weekend that it would be starting a Beijing – Manchester connection. Flying four times a week to the UK’s second most favourite destination for long haul carriers, Hainan Airlines will be the latest connection from the UK to China, a growing market,…
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Miami International Airport is getting three new services from Europe today. October 25th 2015 sees British Airways upgraded A380 service arrive at the airport, Virgin Atlantic‘s second daily Miami service, and a brand new connection from Turkish Airlines. The new services mark an expansion to Europe with a large expansion of seats to pick from. British Airways…
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Flight: CX375 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER aircraft Class: Business Class Route: DUS-HKG Flight time: 12hrs30mins Seat: 12G Date: October 2015 http://www.cathaypacific.com Best For: Regular travellers connecting from Germany to Asia with all of the ease of a direct flight. With four flights a week taking place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, this new route is already…
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Alitalia today announced further improvements to their new international product, as well as improvements to their short-haul products and a variety of other touch points. As part of their turn around plan to turn to profit in 2017, the carrier also announced two new long haul destinations for 2016, including Santiago, Chile and Mexico City.…
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Last week brought the news of two completely contrasting flying experiences, showcasing the increasing divide found between the premium and economy classes. Whilst Emirates unveiled its highly anticipated television commercial featuring Hollywood actress, director and producer Jennifer Aniston, news also came out of a new seating concept that will pack in even more passengers to an…
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Flight: AZ674 Aircraft Type: B777-200ER Class: ‘Magnifica’ Business Class (older generation) Route: FCO-GRU Flight time: 11:12 Seat: 3A Date: September 2015 http://www.alitalia.com Best for: European one-stop travellers who are happy to connect in Europe for more affordable fares. The crowd: Even though this is a very established route, the passengers seemed almost entirely Italian. Business or pleasure: The carrier suits business travellers, and with their imminent introduction of Wi-Fi,…
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We were delighted to be invited to Vietnam Airlines inaugural Dreamliner launch from London Heathrow today. It gave us the opportunity to see the carrier’s new 787-9 up close and personal on stand at Terminal 4 before its flight back to Vietnam. On the outside, Vietnam Airlines’ 787 has a fantastic colour to it, and…
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This week marked the arrival of Korean Air‘s new 747-8i passenger aircraft. The first of 10 on order, these new aircraft are heralded as the flagship airframe for this South Korean airline. KAL, which already operates seven 747-8 freighters, has become the first airline in the world to operate both the passenger and freighter version of…
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Passengers flying from Manchester and Birmingham in the UK are starting to see real improvements in the inflight product being offered them. The airports have had fairly good connections around the world for years, but as they have been seen as less important routes for international airlines, the product rolled out to these airports weren’t the flagship products seen…
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KLM has just released a few choice images of their new 787-9 product due to arrive in October and has decided upon a brand new full-flat World Business Class product for its Boeing 787-9s. Unlike the carrier’s forward facing seats found in their 747’s and 777’s, the 787-9 has taken the familiar Zodiac seat for its business…
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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…
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SWISS will be ushering-in a new era in the history of its long-haul aircraft fleet next January with the arrival of the first of its nine new Boeing 777-300ERs. In SWISS configuration these new state of the art Boeing aircraft will seat a handsome 340 passengers. In SWISS’s configuration the Boeing 777-300ER will offer eight in…
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It has been a busy year for Business Class, with a staggering array of new products being launched as carriers fight for their most lucrative passenger base. Our list contains some surprises, with familiar names falling off and lesser-known carriers appearing. Generally speaking, the products scored lower this year, possibly because consumers’ expectations are rising. The judges looked, as always, at hard and soft product first— but the very highest…
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It’s a big announcement for Oneworld today. Qantas and American Airlines have just announced a significant expansion of their longstanding relationship, which will see the US carrier fly from Los Angeles to Sydney for the first time and Qantas return to San Francisco. Qantas will return to the Sydney-San Francisco route – currently the most…
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Sorry? What was that? Yes we wouldn’t blame you for looking twice at the image above. Alitalia really has launched a new livery, and whilst the awaiting press may have been a little disappointed to not see something perhaps as young, bold and dynamic as Etihad’s recent (award-winning) livery, we are delighted with the result.…
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Flight: SQ319 Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: ‘New’ Business Class Route: LHR-SIN Flight time: 12:34 Seat: 15F Date: May 2015 http://www.singaporeair.com Best for: Solos and Couples doesn’t matter, this carrier is great for business, but also those wanting to experience luxury travel. The crowd: Mainly English or Antipodean travellers, with most connecting on to luxury beach or city breaks. An older more sophisticated set. Business or…
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American Airlines passengers flying across the Atlantic may have noticed a wealth of improvements across the board recently. Not only in the shape of their newest flagship 777-300ER product, but also on AA’s retrofitted workhorse 767 now flying on a variety of routes from the US to Europe and beyond. The new upgraded 767s are a…
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When we recently visited Cathay Pacific‘s new Tokyo Haneda Lounge, we were excited to announce the carrier was expanding the new aesthetic and product across a range of outstations. The latest lounge to join this exclusive list of designer spaces is found in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Not really being known for its amazing facilities, the…
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Flight: LA705 Aircraft Type: B787-8 Class: ‘Premium’ Business Class Route: MAD-SCL Flight time: 13:21 Seat: 4D Date: April 2015 http://www.lan.com Best for: Couples due to the seat config or smarter travellers wanting a better experience compared to the Iberia codeshare flying the same route. The crowd: A full cabin, mainly Chilean, and either wealthy travellers or business travellers. Business or pleasure: This route, considering it connects on…
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You may not have heard of Formia, as they hide behind the behemoth brands they work with, however that may be about to change. This powerful (and award-winning) company manages to partner brands together to offer their passengers the very best in amenities. 2015 has brought a wealth of new luxury partnerships, and a new…
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Finally! We are getting a brand new Clubhouse in Los Angeles Terminal 2. First suggested back in 2012 by TheDesignAir, the moving of the Air New Zealand lounge from LAX’s T2 which Virgin Atlantic used to use across to the TBIT terminal, left passengers in a bit of a quandary. However, the airline announced this week…
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It’s always good to see a new herringbone seat enter the market, and yet most passengers may not even know the array of seats on offer. The wealth of herringbone seat designs have a myriad of differences. Designed by London based JPA Design and Jamco, these brand new seat designs (first seen at AIX in Hamburg this…
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We were delighted this month to be invited to experience Cathay’s latest airside lounge, situated in Tokyo Haneda, which we reported on late last year. Situated airside in Tokyo Haneda’s International Terminal, the brand new space, on the very highest passenger floor commands unparalleled views of not just Haneda Airport, but Tokyo’s dramatic and iconic skyline. On…
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Flight: CX250 Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: LHR-HKG Flight time: 11:45 Seat: 16D Date: April 2015 http://www.cathaypacific.com Best for: Regular travellers connecting from Europe to Asia, with five flights a day, the airline offers a great variety of flight departure times with connections onto a variety of China and pan-Asian destinations. The crowd: Completely full, as always. Cathay manages to combine…
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Flight: EY11 Aircraft Type: A380 Class: First Class “Apartments” Route: AUH-LHR Flight time: 7:25 Seat: 1H Date: Februrary 2015 http://www.etihad.com Best for: Anyone who can afford it. Suitable for those who have to travel a long way and value space, service and comfort above all else. The crowd: An almost-full cabin. With ultimate privacy, it was hard to say, but mainly top level executive travellers.…
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