For an industry that loves to shout about First Class doors and ever more elaborate Business Class suites, some of the most interesting innovation is happening far more quietly. Premium Economy, once a clearly defined middle ground, is beginning to stretch in two directions at once. Some airlines are doubling down on the “economy” side…
Read More
All eyes might have been on DXB the past few weeks as it struggled to deal with epic rains that hit the UAE. To be fair, we don’t think any airport globally could have dealt with such extreme weather conditions, but now all eyes are turning to its sister airport, situated a little closer to…
Read More
Sometimes we see concepts that are so far fetched come across our desks here at TheDesignAir that we know they just simply won’t take flight, but the latest concept that has landed here has certainly piqued our interest. Brought to life by David Caon’s design studio (the very same designer who has his fingerprint all…
Read More
Let’s be honest, we’ve been doing the same thing for almost a century. We get on an aircraft that has the same key features, a metal tube with a front and a back and seats in between. It’s been the formula that new aircraft have followed for decades. But as our understanding of aerodynamics increase,…
Read More
For so many, the writing has been on the wall for First Class. After all, the gulf between First and Business Class was bridged by a wave of suites, fully flat beds and all-aisle access in the larger more affordable J class cabin. This means for many now, the upgrade to First Class simply meant…
Read More
Passenger seat rules and regulations regarding ergonomics haven’t really changed in decades. However, as a race, human’s have continued to evolve, and we’re getting larger and taller. This means economy seats and cabins once comfortable for passengers in the 1960’s are no longer viable for today’s traveller. In fact the CDC says between 1960 and…
Read More
As the world of wide-bodied cabin & seat design has reached a critical plateau, all eyes are turning to the new narrow-bodied long-haul market which will become an increasingly important part of point-to-point long-haul strategy in the months and years ahead. While the ‘Jet Set Era’ offered transcontinental flights on narrow-body aircraft decades ago, it…
Read More
United Airlines has brought a little bit of future optimism to the aviation industry once again today with the announcement of a commercial agreement with Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic to add aircraft to its global fleet as well as a cooperative sustainability initiative – a move that facilitates a leap forward in returning supersonic…
Read More
While we covered JetBlue’s fantastic new Mint product recently, the airline certainly kept our eyes at the front of the aircraft, as we thought that’s where the magic was going to happen. However, it seems when it comes to Economy Class travel, the airline has decided to firmly position itself as a challenger to the…
Read More
with the rise of the all-aisle business class product, and now with doors, the benefits of First Class as a separate cabin class become more questionable. True exclusivity, privacy, space and dining are some of the only real benefits now, which doesn’t often equate to the price tag they come with. What if the needs of passengers looking for exclusivity, space or privacy could benefit from a space onboard that suits their needs, without the label of it being First Class? That’s what Paperclip Design in Hong Kong have considered in their latest concept, hot off the heels from their Butterfly seat design.
Read More
The partnership between Rolls-Royce and airframer Tecnam was announced last year, however they’ve just connected the dots, expanding on Rolls-Royce 2019 partnership with Widerøe. Their combined goal is to deliver an all-electric passenger aircraft for Widerøe, the largest regional airline in Scandinavia, and a plan to enter revenue service in 2026. The idea of electric aircraft…
Read More
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,…
Read More
Lufthansa is utilising this time to trial new economy concept products. While it recently announced that in economy passengers on short-haul flights will now have to pay for dining and drink options, on the long-haul network the carrier is currently testing a new Economy Class seating concept called “Sleeper’s Row”. This product follows the likes…
Read More
You might have seen in the news, that airlines are increasingly turning to UV (and in particular UVC) to sanitise their fleets. Only in the past few weeks JetBlue adopted a new trolley-based light sanitisation station that’s wheeled through the cabin to disinfect the cabin in approximately 10 minutes. Why UV light? While UVA and…
Read More
Meet Pure Skies, PriestmanGoode’s answer to the future of flight, responding to the recent curve ball Covid-19 threw at cabin designers of today. The London-based design studio created a new design concept to support the future success of the aviation industry – understanding that a clean slate is needed to bring confidence back to the…
Read More
With such a fast changing narrative around Coronavirus it’s difficult for airlines to plan for a post-Covid future. From social distancing to personal shields, designers have been supporting airlines across the globe, working quickly to help navigate the scale and impact of such a widespread pandemic. Most solutions created have answered a problem, whether it’s…
Read More
The idea of personal transport is certainly not new, and we’ve seen Uber concepts and real life flying taxis being trialled in Dubai, but to celebrate its 50th birthday, Embraer has given us a taste of how it sees us travelling in 50 years’ time. ‘The Pulse Concept’ is inspired by the first-ever concept car…
Read More
Air New Zealand has a fairly unique proposition, offering daily ultra long-haul flights across the globe while catering to a home country with just half the population of London. As such, its had to innovate to remain at the top of it’s game, and has already rolled out products like the (short-lived) Premium Economy Spaceseat,…
Read More
London-based creative firm New Territory has just revealed details of its new spin-off company ‘Universal Movement’ to address the lack of innovation within high density seating on aircrafts and in other transportation environments. Universal Movement’s launch includes the announcement of its first project, Interspace, an innovative approach to the traditional airline seat which utilises a…
Read More
London-based design studio Priestmangoode has just opened a ‘Get Onboard: Reduce. Reuse. Rethink’ exhibition at the Design Museum in London. As we just highlighted in our questions surrounding amenity kits, there is an increasing movement to explore ways that we can use design thinking and material innovation to address the vast issue of waste in travel,…
Read More
Recently, Etihad Airways completed a single-use plastic-free flight from Abu Dhabi to Brisbane to highlight the issues the industry faces when it comes to sustainability. But instead of this being a one-off stunt, it has actually turned into a learning curve with many of the disciplines being rolled out across the airline, a carrier fast becoming one…
Read More
Recently, Etihad Airways completed a single-use plastic-free flight from Abu Dhabi to Brisbane to highlight the issues the industry faces when it comes to sustainability. But instead of this being a one-off stunt, it has actually turned into a learning curve with many of the disciplines being rolled out across the airline, a carrier fast…
Read More
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…
Read More
Bangkok Airport (Airports of Thailand) has announced that they have selected DBALP, the architecture firm led by Duangrit Bunnag, to design a brand new major terminal that will be capable of handling up to 30 million passengers a year. Dubbed ‘The Forest Terminal’ the new building has been carefully designed to reflect Thailand’s lush tropical…
Read More
Yesterday saw the joint launch of a new modular passenger transport concept from Airbus and Italdesign at Geneva’s 87th International Motor Show. ‘Pop.Up’ – as it has been dubbed – is a fully electric, zero emission concept vehicle system designed to relieve traffic congestion in crowded megacities. “Pop.Up envisages a modular system for multi-modal transportation that makes…
Read More
El Al may not strike most as a ‘design-led’ airline, partly the reason we’ve barely covered the carrier on this site. However, the carrier is slowly starting to invest in contemporary design touches that are piece by piece, changing the image of the carrier. Headed up by Idan Noyberg, the founder of lyly.design, the airline has…
Read More
The future is a little closer this month, with Boom taking a leap forward and presenting their XB-1 1/3rd-scale ‘little brother’ version of the ideal next generation supersonic passenger jet. ‘Baby Boom’ as it has been dubbed, may not be taking flight until next year, but it will pave the way for the new Concorde of the…
Read More
Groundbreaking has commenced on Seletar’s new airport terminal building in Singapore. In two years time the airport will welcome a new space that will play host to regional flights, reducing the demand on Changi’s main International airport. The construction of the new terminal is the next stage of the renewal of Seletar Airport. Redevelopment of…
Read More
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…
Read More
We are in love. It’s official. Alitalia’s new uniforms which were revealed yesterday in Rome epitomise the JetSet era nostalgia that airlines around the world are trying to recapture, but done with an iconic Italian twist that screams style and glamour. Designed by Ettore Bilotta, a Milan based haute couturier, the striking new look has been designed…
Read More