Air China’s A350 to be launch customer of new Recaro ‘Suites’

Air China has just announced it will bring a brand new Business Class seat to 10 of its A350s. While the carrier has a diverse selection of business class seats depending on which aircraft you are travelling on – the latest A350 seats might not be the most spacious, but they might just be the…

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Innovation is great, but it needs to have purpose. Don’t forget your passengers. Introducing Virgin’s ‘Booth’.

Virgin Atlantic has just revealed its latest social space found on the final five A350’s that will be delivered for the carrier. Instead of ‘The Loft’ – the social space found on its first wave of A350’s – the last few Airbus aircraft to be delivered have been configured for the carrier’s leisure routes.  This…

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Air France opens Jouin Manku designed lounge for CDG’s Schengen travellers

Air France has just opened an exciting new lounge space dedicated to Business Class travellers and Flying Blue Elite Plus members travelling through the airline’s short and medium-haul Schengen network. It’s no small affair, as this lounge is one of the airline’s largest, with a surface area of no less than 3,000 sq. m. catering to 570 seats…

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Air France unveils brand new lounge at Montreal-Trudeau International Airport

Today saw the opening of the fully redesigned Air France lounge at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. In association with the Plaza Premium Group, the airline now offers its Business and Flying Blue Elite Plus customers a large, elegant and welcoming space, in an iteration of the new ground product design for Air France.…

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MEA upgrades amenities to match new interiors

Lebanon’s national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) has just revealed new amenities for their business class passengers, designed to match the new interiors that the A321neo’s have brought to the fleet. The airline partnered with Kaelis, an independent provider of onboard products, services and solutions, to create a new comfort set to make their business…

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Jiatai bring new Economy and Business Class seats to the industry in partnership with Factorydesign

AVIC Cabin Services is more than just AIM altitude and Thompson Aero Seating, however those will be more familiar names than Jiatai. However, it’s one company and part of the group not to be overlooked. Jiatai’s new JT220B Business Class and JT220E Economy Class seats are a result of the company’s strategy, supported by ACS,…

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Cathay set sights on A321neo flights in August with new Business Class cabin

Cathay Pacific is about to see the commercial take-off of its latest arrival, the A321neo. With the pandemic hitting at a pivotal time for the carrier, commercially things have been bittersweet. While passenger numbers have been decimated for 18-months, the regrowth of the airline can now be expedited by the addition of a new narrow-body…

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Qatar Airways reveals new 787-9 Business Class Suite, and as expected, it’s the new Ascent seat

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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Delta opens new Sky Club in Fort Lauderdale, one of the first to re-introduce hot food options

Today marks the opening of Delta’s brand new Delta Sky Club situated in Terminal 2 of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. It is part of a multi-year multi-million dollar renovation project at the airport. The space is clearly designed for a post-COVID world, with soaring floor-to-ceiling windows with runway views, thoughtful interior touches and artwork from…

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Could Ascent by Adient Aerospace climb the ranks?

Like many things in the aviation industry, there are always one or two major suppliers in most cases dominating the industry, whether its Boeing or Airbus, Rolls Royce or GE and within business class seats let’s face it, Collins Aerospace or Safran, but there are just as capable competitors on the fringe. Recaro and Thompson…

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Turkish Airlines opts for stylish new amenity kits with greater links to Turkish culture

Turkish Airlines has once again renewed its collaboration with one of the country’s most distinguished painters, Devrim Erbil. The artist’s work will be found on the carrier’s short-haul Business Class amenity kits for short-haul flights produced by Galileo Watermark. Erbil, one of the most important living representatives of Turkish contemporary art, is deeply influenced by…

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British Airways swaps spas for sleep pods, but was it the right decision?

British Airways recently announced the retirement of its Elemis spas, one of the crowning unique features of their Heathrow lounges. Taking their place and replacing the older business centres – in a bid to offer something to passengers – is the new ’Forty Winks’ nap lounge, featuring power nap sleep pods. The new pods are…

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Qatar Airways’ musical chair conundrum

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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Corsair receives new A330neo with brand new hard products

French leisure carrier Corsair, based in Paris Orly has just received the very first of 5 new A330neo aircraft which will modernise its fleet. Last year saw the retirement of its 747s which have now been replaced by an all Airbus A330 fleet. The airline has streamlined its network offering which once spanned the US…

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Qatar Airways is latest carrier to bring an exclusive scent to the skies

Qatar Airways has always ensured its soft product is one of the best in the skies, so there’s no surprise it’s now partnered with French maison parfumerie Diptyque as part of the airline’s offering for First Class and Business Class passengers – both on board and in its premium lounges around the world. The airline…

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The need for space. Will airlines invest in social spaces once again?

Even non-aviation enthusiasts may have noticed that the skies look a little different today. As we head into another year since the pandemic first decimated commercial aviation, the large behemoth A380s and Queens of the skies – the Boeing 747 – are a rare sight at airports nowadays. Replaced by more economic and smaller long-haul…

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KLM Cityhopper’s first Embraer E2 joins fleet

KLM has just received its latest addition to the fleet, a brand new Embraer E2, which will become an important aircraft for the Dutch carrier as it looks to modernise its regional fleet. The new 195-E2 aircraft type is both quieter and more economical than its predecessor the Embraer 190. Seven new aircraft of this…

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Virgin Australia launches new Adelaide Lounge with new brand image

The aviation landscape in Australia may have shifted quite dramatically over the past few months, with new regional entrant Rex looking to take on Qantas on the main Melbourne – Sydney shuttle route and Virgin Australia re-emerging as a mid market carrier, and there’s even talk that Qantas isn’t taking project Sunrise off the table…

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JPA Design and Williams Advanced Engineering’s ‘Airtek’ seat signals shift to smarter design thinking

A little while ago, JPA Design announced a new type of Business Class seat, which on the surface may look like just another seat, but thanks to its partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering and SWS, the skin-deep appearance is anything but. Not only does the product learn from current design trends, it embraces lightweight technology,…

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Happy Chinese New Year, Qatar Airways style

In traditional Qatar Airways style, the airline doesn’t hold back when it comes to a celebration. In honour of the Chinese New Year, the airline has introduced an oriental inspired menu on board flights to popular Asia destinations between 11 and 12 February 2021. In Qatar Airways’ Doha Al Mourjan Business Lounge, passengers will also…

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Exclusive: Minty Fresh, Acumen’s approach to JetBlue’s latest Business Class cabin

Acumen, the London based design studio, has been working with JetBlue for several years, reimagining the passenger experience. Back in 2016 they commenced work on the new A321neo cabin, but they have also worked on the new A321LR project which graced the news this week, thanks to its innovative business class cabin featuring the new…

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JetBlue shows it means business with its new Transatlantic Mint product

JetBlue has been long touting its desire to compete on the Transatlantic market. With the recent exit of Norwegian’s long haul operations, there’s certainly a slot to be filled in competitively priced disrupters, and JetBlue has jumped at the opportunity. However, it certainly means business, trying to take a slice of the highly lucrative Transatlantic…

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Gulf Air moves home to its brand new terminal in Bahrain, with new ground experience

Gulf Air today moved its operations to the brand new terminal in Bahrain’s International Airport in Manama. The new terminal couldn’t be more different than its predecessor, as it is awash with light thanks to its huge picture windows and high ceilings. With the new terminal, comes new ground experiences for passengers, including brand new…

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Access all areas. Factorydesign creates show-stopping hybrid all-aisle-access business class seat for narrow bodies

Hot on the heels of its Vantage Solo design (now being manufactured by Thompson Aero Seating), London-based Factorydesign has revealed details about its mid-market hybrid business class seat for narrow body long-haul aircraft. Trying to navigate the economics and ergonomics of a premium product on a narrow body aircraft proves one of the most difficult…

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Emirates finally reveals Premium Economy product and upgrades to the A380. But is it a sheep in wolf’s clothing?

Emirates is one of the last bastions of the A380. Thanks to its critical mass of the product, once vaccines take hold and confidence in travel returns, the airline will be well poised to offer luxury travel to the masses once again. The carrier already has an arsenal at its ready to help position itself…

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Could Vantage Solo become one of the most common seats in Business Class for the next decade?

The industry has been mooting the possibility of growth in the long-haul single-aisle market across the past couple of years, however 2020’s pandemic has rapidly escalated this conversation. These narrow body ultra-long-haul aircraft are perfectly suited for a subdued travel market across the next few years, with fewer seats and the ability to connect point-to-point…

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Swiss to offer exciting new menus in Intercontinental First and Business Class

While Swiss has announced that in economy passengers will soon have to pay for food and drink onboard short-haul flights, things have taken a radical shift in the opposite gear onboard the carrier’s long-haul premium cabins. Crafted by Michelin-starred chef Alexandra Müller of the Romantik Hôtel L’Etoile in Charmey, Canton Fribourg, these latest culinary creations…

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JetBlue adds refreshed Mint amenities in preparation for its Trans-Atlantic flights

JetBlue – in a bid to fully refresh its competitively priced fully-flat bed Mint product – has announced its first major refresh of its JetBlue Mint service. While we know that the airline will be launching London flights in Q3 2021 with an all-new (and very exciting) new hard product, it was about time the…

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Uganda Airlines proves aircraft interiors don’t just have to come in shades of blue

Uganda Airlines might not be on everyones radar. But that’s because until last week, the carrier just operated a modest fleet of four Bombardier CRJ900’s. Resurrected from its predecessor that last flew in 2001, the latest incarnation spread its wings a little over a year ago, but seemingly has big plans. With aircraft bought by…

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WestJet opens new ‘Elevation’ lounge in Calgary. A Flagship lounge aimed at cementing the airline’s design credentials

WestJet might not be the first brand that comes to mind when announcing a new Flagship lounge considering its half-dozen fleet of long-haul aircraft. But the airline is certainly looking to craft a niche for itself as the airline of choice for Canadian travellers. Dubbed ‘Elevation’, WestJet’s new lounge in Calgary spans more than 9,300…

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