The Olympics may now be over, but there’s still good reason to travel to Rio. Tom Jobim International Airport will now play host to three Plaza Premium Lounges in South Pier and Car Park Building of Terminal 2, welcoming all travellers regardless of their airline or travel class with a total of 570 comfortable seats. Plaza Premium…
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JFK’s International Air Terminal (Now known as JFK’s T4) plays host to the largest collection of airlines at JFK, with over 30 carriers under the one roof which has been standing since the 2001 $1.4bn redevelopment. After 15 years a brand refresh has brought a contemporary spin to the airport’s only non-airline owned terminal. Designed…
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Turkmenistan’s new International Airport, built by Turkish construction company Polimeks opened to the public on the 17th September. The design of the new Ashgabat International Airport Complex was inspired from Oguz Khan and the falcon which is one of the national symbols of Turkmenistan. In fact, the falcon shaped building has been recognised by numerous authorities. The…
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While TAP Portugal‘s two A330s featuring the brand new business class product are already flying between Portugal and the USA, the airline has announced that it will now retrofit seven of its current A330 fleet with a brand new product in business class. The seats won’t be the same as the Sogerma Solstys seats found in the…
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Etihad has just launched its new First Class amenity kits, designed in partnership with two of the leading fashion and beauty brands. The cases have been designed by Christian Lacroix, while the product range now features one of the most prestigious skincare brands, Omorovicza. While they will initially be introduced on A380 flights between Abu…
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Crystal Cruises may not be the first airline we have covered to rethink branded jets for hospitality and cruise operators. In fact, we covered the Four Seasons jet a year and a half ago, but it seems Crystal cruises doesn’t want to be outdone, taking a 777 to a whole new dimension of comfort for…
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Yesterday American Airlines saw 70,000 of their front line staff wear the airline’s new uniform for the very first time in a global unveiling. Replacing the previous decade-old threads, the latest designs will align the staff with the ‘new’ American brand. Designed by the involvement of staff across the airline, the new threads have been well…
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If you are a lover of all things and design and all things aviation (and we trust you are if you are on our site) then you will love the Boeing Store’s latest Custom Hangar pieces. The Custom Hangar Catalog features a collection of furniture and artwork derived from genuine aircraft parts. Collectable one off…
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For those who have an interest in Mexican archaeology and anthropology, you may get a little excited to see one of Mexico’s most famous deities adorning Aeromexico’s brand new 787-9. Named Quetzalcoatl, meaning “Feathered Serpent,” the new livery was the winning design from the carrier’s ‘Design in the Air’ competition. Taking an eye-watering nine days to…
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The first of three new GOL Lounges in Brazil has just opened in Guarulhos T2 showcasing the carrier’s new direction for their ground product. Available to all passengers on GOL as well as Air France, Delta and KLM codeshares flying from T2, the new lounge replaces the fairly depressing and basic previous incarnation. “The VIP lounge…
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Today saw the launch of Cathay Pacific’s 4-times-a-week service between Hong Kong and Gatwick airport. The airline has rolled out it’s most technologically advanced airframe on the route, the A350-900, which also flies to Dusseldorf from Hong Kong. Being one of the lucky few invited for the inaugural event at Gatwick, TheDesignAir was able to…
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Last month, Emirates launched a brand new set of Economy Class amenity kits. The kit bags reflect Emirates global coverage and come in six designs inspired by six regions in Emirates’ global network – Australasia, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Far East. The designs incorporate the colours and patterns of each of…
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China Airlines has just revealed a very high quality video walk-through of their new A350, showing off their new A350 Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy classes. It’s the first time the airline has given the full picture behind the new cabin. The cabins offer points of difference from the new 777 fleet that have…
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When airlines such as Qatar Airways have announced recently they are working on a brand new Business Class seats and Emirates is working on new First Class suites, it was a surprising twist to see Delta, a US carrier to leap-frog the competition with an adapted Thomson Aero Seating product by Factorydesign. The US airline’s new Delta One…
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Opened yesterday, Etihad Airways‘ new First and Business Class Lounge within the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport is the latest addition to the airlines armada of designer lounges, following Abu Dhabi and Melbourne this year. The lounge services passengers flying on the EY170 from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi and beyond, a long-range…
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Championing British design talent, Heathrow Airport today announced the globally renowned architectural practice, Grimshaw as their concept designers after a rigorous assessment from a shortlist of four of the UK’s top architects which also included Zaha Hadid, HOK and Benoy. “Grimshaw were successful in the competitive tender process not only for their visionary concept designs, which pushed…
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ANA announced today that it will reveal another new Star Wars themed aircraft to its fleet, adding to its three existing planes that have Star Wars characters as livery. The latest droid to grow wings is C-3PO, one of the only characters to be featured in every single Star Wars film so far. As part of the…
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Part one of TheDesignAir’s exclusive series on the making of Cathay Dragon. The newly renamed Cathay Dragon has just started its life as an airline brand. Originally named ‘Dragonair’, the Cathay sibling has very clearly positioned itself alongside the internationally recognised Cathay Pacific. On first glance, the rebrand may just look like a red Cathay…
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JetBlue today opened a new self-service check-in lobby at JFK’s terminal 5 today featuring over 70 interactive self-service kiosks. The area is certainly more spacious, infact, there is a 75% increase in space, with JetBlue crew members on hand to help out passengers. The concept is inherently JetBlue. The contemporary lobby features clean lines and…
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Following last month’s Hot Hotel, and part of our same trip to Japan we visit Amanemu’s sister hotel in the country’s capital, AmanTokyo. The hotel opened back in 2014, but has now fully established itself as one of the most luxurious properties in Japan, let alone the world. It was recently applauded Best Design Hotel…
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Flight: AF457 Aircraft Type: B777-200 Class: Premium Economy Route: GRU-CDG Date: May 2016 http://www.airfrance.com We were very happy to return from our previous trip with Air France in Premium Economy to trial one of the world’s most applauded mid-cabin classes. Featuring a modern clean cabin, well appointed seats and above-standard amenities such as champagne on tap and enhanced amenity kits.…
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KLM It may have happened a few weeks ago, but if you missed it, KLM recently revealed their “Orange Pride” aircraft. On one special 777-300ER, the well-known KLM Blue was replaced on half of the fuselage with the nations orange colour. The keel line running along the fuselage has also been adapted to reflect the nations…
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On Monday Etihad finally opened to the doors to its much anticipated First Class Lounge and Spa in Abu Dhabi’s International Airport Terminal 3. The new flagship First Class Lounge & Spa “showcases the airline’s commitment to providing unparalleled and aspirational hospitality experiences,” state the airline’s press release. The lounge follows the residential and hotel influenced-design that…
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United Airlines has unveiled today a brand new international business class cabin and lounge concept that will start flying December 1st 2016. This revolutionary leap for United pushes the boundaries of comfort and amenities for the one remaining US legacy carrier that has lagged behind the recent developments at Delta and American. Named after the North Star, United…
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Yesterday saw the arrival of Cathay Pacific‘s first A350 in Hong Kong. When we saw a glimpse of the aircraft from the airport terminal, the new A350 shape was instantly recognisable, and to us signalled a new era for the carrier. Cathay have been working hard in the past two years, aligning two brands, opening…
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The Democratic Republic of Congo may not be on every airline’s bucket list of lounge locations, but for Brussels Airlines, Kinshasa is a valuable route, and worthy of it’s first premium lounge offering outside of Brussels. Named ‘The Suite – Kinshasa’, after its recently opened namesake in Brussels, The Suite offers an intimate but well crafted lounge…
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Who doesn’t love a starry night… Hawaiian Airlines today welcomed home its first Airbus A330 aircraft featuring fully lie-flat seating in a spacious Premium Cabin that surrounds guests with modern, luxurious island-inspired designs and even a twinkling constellation paying homage to the history of Polynesian navigation. As we announced last year, Hawaiian Airlines has introduced a…
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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…
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Hot off the heels of their A330 refresh, Virgin Australia today unveiled its new International Business Class cabin, with the first of its refitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft now flying across the Pacific. This comes after their announcement of the refresh back in 2014. “The airline’s flagship Business Class product ‘The Business’, new Business Class Bar…
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IAH airport is the latest airport to receive OTG’s signature dining experiences in partnership with United Airlines. The key hub in the airline’s network was chosen to undergo a series of renovations in order to elevate the dining and retail experience at all of United’s terminals in Houston George Bush Airport. The spaces are designed…
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