Now, Condor’s A330neo nautically business class might not be recent news, but social is finally buzzing around the airline’s decision to up-guage its front row of business class to a ‘Business Plus’ proposition. Dubbed ‘Prime Seats’, Condor’s front row of four seats are in effect ‘mini suites’ with a few hidden surprises that the airline…
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Iberia is the first airline to take delivery of the new A350 cabins that feature ever-so-slightly wider cabins and new technologies that make the aircraft lighter and more advanced (such as greater flap settings and faster retracting landing gear), even though they look identical on the outside. However, on the inside, Iberia has opted to…
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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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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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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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As travel starts to comeback to the UAE, Sharjah’s airport has opened its newly designed Premium Lounge, which will cater to all passengers either with a suitable lounge programme, or by payment on entry. The lounge is just one element in a 4,000 square metre extension. The extensive refurbishment of the lounge features a paired…
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Qatar Airways has adapted its health and safety measures onboard by introducing new personal protective equipment for both customers and cabin crew, which increase the protection for passengers and bring the crew protection in line with (if not more than) other global airlines. The airline’s latest measures include offering face shields (rather than masks) and…
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Air France and Paris Aéroport are underway in constructing a new lounge in Charles De Gaulle’s 2F terminal, used for its Schengen departures. Due to be complete by the end of the year, the lounge will be brought to fruition by a brand new creative design studio, infamous for its work with Alain Ducasse, Van Cleef…
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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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Today sees the opening of the latest Swiss lounge in Zurich, replacing the old First Class lounge in the A gates of Terminal 2, the new Alpine Lounge helps provide some respite to the Schengen departure swells due to the morning and evening flight banks. The airline has several lounges already across Zurich, and all…
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Today, Air Canada announced the first two brand-new routes to be operated with their Airbus A220-300. They include the only non-stop service between Montreal and Seattle and between Toronto and San Jose, California, both starting in spring, 2020. While the routes are new, so are the airline’s interiors for the aircraft operating them, which will…
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Air France saw the opening of its refurbished lounge in Washington-Dulles International Airport today. The new lounge welcomes Air France La Première and Business customers on both Air France & KLM, and Flying Blue Elite Plus members in a completely revamped, more elegant and modern setting. The lounge, which spans 615 sq. m across two levels…
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Doors. This is where it all starts. Over the past few years, the differences between First Class and Business Class hard-products have become fewer and farther between. We’re now in an era where British Airways new Business Class product offers equal space and more privacy than its older First Class product. Airlines such as Qatar…
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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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A few years ago, the race was on to kit out an airline’s entire fleet with fully-flat, all-aisle access seats in business class, as this was a quantifiable benefit from competitors who were offering either angled lie-flat or seats that didn’t feature aisle access. A few key seats became de-facto benchmarks in passenger expectations, including…
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Yesterday saw the re-opening of American Express’ Centurion Lounge at Miami International Airport. The lounge was recently expanded and renovated to offer Platinum Card Members access to even more space and better food and beverage selections in one of the network’s most popular lounges. Featuring an extra 100 seats, the lounge encompasses 12,300 sq. ft,…
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Helsinki is increasingly becoming a popular stopover for passengers between Europe and Asia. Dubbed the ‘fastest way to Asia’ Helsinki Airport benefits from a geographical advantage, meaning flights from Helsinki are much shorter than flying from other European capitals. Appealing to economy passengers who are less inclined to spend hours on end bolt-upright, Helsinki will…
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Last week saw Iberia receive the latest addition to the fleet, a brand new Airbus A350-900. The aircraft is the first of 16 A350 XWB on order, becoming the 18th airline to operate the aircraft type. The aircraft is configured in a premium three-class layout, with 348 seats, including 31 full lie-flat bed Business, 24 Premium…
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As of July 1st, Air France passengers in their Premium Economy or Business Class cabins will experience brand new amenity kits. These funky and fresh designs will be available for 6 months on all long-haul flights. In premium economy, the kits feature a sporty, young tie string bag, that wouldn’t be amiss on sister airline…
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Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: May 2018 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines impressed TheDesignAir last year with a trip on the same route. With the impending opening of the New Istanbul Airport this year, along with new transit services such as the Bosphorus Experience the airline is continuing to evolve and improve, but we wanted to see…
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Today saw the grand opening of Emirates’ latest lounge in Boston Logan International Airport. The lounge, which marked a soft opening in April 2017, is now open to Emirates First Class and Business Class customers as well as Platinum and Gold members of Skywards, the airline’s frequent flyer program. This latest lounge reaffirms Emirates’ commitment to…
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High-density premium seating is where it is at this year, and tangerine‘s new ‘Adagio’ seat for Aviointeriors is the epitome of this new trend. While the market for fully-flat seats has taken a few years to mature and settle, industrial designers are constantly making small changes to perfect the model from a cost, LOPA and passenger…
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The first of a wave of new facilities for Qantas passengers travelling from Brisbane, Australia will now open October 20th 2016. The striking new lounge is another well-crafted designer space that follows the updated airside aesthetic that has been rolled out across Qantas’ network of lounges globally over the past couple of years. The Brisbane International Lounge is based on…
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China Airlines recently unveiled an exclusive look into their new A350 XWB aircraft, coming into service within just a few months. The interiors are, at first glance, carbon copies of the already established 777-300ER (the last of which is just about to be delivered to the carrier), however, in an exclusive TheDesignAir interview with the…
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This month we delve into that quiet and revered airport sanctuary! TheDesignAir once again, with strategic print partner Airways magazine bring you the very best Top 10 Airport Lounges in the world 2015. As well as appearing online, they will appear in print in every monthly glossy issue of Airways magazine, available around the world. We are impressed with the…
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In a roll out across the 777 fleet, and part of the ‘Best & Beyond’ service and product renovation project, Air France have finally caught up with their international competitors by offering fully flat seating in their business class cabins. The seating may look familiar, being adopted the world round for it’s successful mix of…
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Over the years, our dining experiences in the air has been a little bit mixed, even as children we probably have memories of eating shapeless mush as much as we have memories of our best dining experiences. Our bets are the best dining memories are recent memories. That’s because technology and science really have helped…
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Sister Airline to the award winning Cathay Pacific; Dragonair, the regional / medium-haul carrier has just announced its cabin offerings to lift the airline’s level of luxury. The most recent announcement is the launch of their First Class offering. If the seat looks familiar, that is because it is identical to Cathay Pacific’s new long-haul…
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Royal Brunei, when we reported on their new livery and look a while ago, didn’t inspire us too much, their artists impressions made the aircraft look flat and badly proportioned. Now we like to think they saw our comments and made a few tweaks, but realistically, we know that the aircraft reality and artists impressions can…
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This year there have been many new lounges appearing around the world. Each offering a unique level of luxury and identity that has meant a broad and interesting collection of spaces in a variety of spaces. Excellent spaces that didn’t make the list, but should still be commended, include Virgin America’s ‘The Loft‘ in LAX,…
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