Herringbone and forward-facing staggered business class seats? The catalogue available to airlines is now seemingly never-ending, and the latest Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg this week has revealed how the industry has never been more spoiled for choice. Two of the latest entrants in to the market have come from Safran dubbed ‘VUE’ and ‘Unity’.…
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With some 6000+ narrow-body and regional jets in the US alone, there is a huge market for ‘domestic First Class’ still, and competition is heating up at the front of the plane. Delta has just shown off its new First Class product, first announced in 2020, and the MiQ seats are starting to become commonplace…
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Friday saw the announcement that KLM will finally introduce its own Premium Economy product, bringing the carrier in line with Air France, Delta and Virgin Atlantic, its strategic partners. Dubbed Premium Comfort Class, the product sits above its economy comfort product which is fundamentally an economy seat with a little more legroom, and below the…
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Most people will have flown on a Vantage product at some point if they’ve flown business class in the past decade, and the VantageXL is the flagship version, which has been adopted by the likes of Qantas, SAS, Delta and Philippine Airlines over the years. Understanding that passenger habits and needs have adapted in the…
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Etihad has been looking to find an ecological solution to its inflight service for some time. Over the past few years the airline has been at the forefront of experimental eco-flights with everything from zero-plastic long-haul journeys to new technologies to rid the world of vapour-trails. However, the latest developments will be a welcome addition…
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Today saw the official approval of Qantas’ long-awaited Project Sunrise, something that was postponed a few years due to COVID. With the announcement that the airline will order 12 A350-1000 aircraft capable of flying from Sydney direct to London and New York, which will see the longest and furthest flights in the world. But that…
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A staggering 18 months ahead of schedule, the doors to the ‘Delta Sky Way’ at LAX is now open to customers. And when LAX customers visit the new Delta terminal, they’ll have more than just a streamlined check-in experience and new designer facilities to look forward to. The new Delta Sky Club at LAX, located on the…
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Heading over to Abu Dhabi to experience Etihad’s brand new A350 I was able to also experience the carrier’s 787 for the very first time. While the product is now a few years old, it was useful to see how the product was still standing up against the competition and how the two products –…
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Condor revealed perhaps the bravest new livery and brand image today we’ve seen in a decade. Actively opting to shun its previous looks and celebrate its leisure market, the airline has adopted a bold new, deck chair and beach towel inspired (I kid you not) livery. No, it’s not April 1st, and we did have…
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If you’ve been in Turkish Airlines‘ business class lounge in Istanbul over the past few days, then you might be forgiven for thinking that Batman had parked one of is many vehicles in the lounge. However, this futuristic new machine, dubbed ‘Hezarfen’ is actually a flight simulator with a difference. Combining modern technology with inspiration…
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Etihad has always been a challenger brand in the Middle East, even if it’s not the youngest of the carriers. Often shadowed by its much larger, blingier cousin Emirates, and self-styled luxury carrier Qatar Airways, Etihad has had a bigger hill to climb, either winning market share, or the hearts and wallets of this lucrative…
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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…
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It’s easier for designers to build passenger experiences for adults. It’s the core design language that makes up a brand and airline passenger experience. After all, we can all relate to how the design created will affect us. However, designers often forget children, which still make up a noticeable percentage of airline travellers. There are…
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Following ANA’s announcement that it was going to launch a new airline brand back in 2020, details have emerged today of how this brand will look. Dubbed ‘AirJapan’, ANA’s new carrier is “a new airline brand for medium-haul international routes.” Air Japan is actually just one part of ANA’s transformation of its business model 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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Anyone who has visited South America will appreciate how strong the design culture is there. So it’s no surprise that the de-facto airline of the region LATAM has celebrated its cultural roots with two new amenity kits, which have sustainability at their heart. This new release reflects one of the emerging trends TheDesignAir predicted for…
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Alaska Airlines isn’t shy of special liveries. In fact, its first ‘Salmon Thirty Salmon’ livery – which celebrated the airline’s involvement with the shipment of the precious and tasty cargo –was so popular it returned in 2012. While the airline isn’t the only US carrier to adorn their aircraft with marine life, with Southwest also…
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While 2022 is already underway, it seems that airlines are starting to emerge from hibernation, and with it, bringing a wave of passenger experience improvements from new cabin classes to new amenities. But what are the emerging trends we expect to see through 2022? Premium Economy wars As well as seeing new premium economy products…
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It’s rare to find innovation in Business Class products in the past few years. Since the likes of Singapore Airlines’ new monocoque seats and Qatar Airways QSuites, many carriers are opting to customise off the shelf products, which naturally bring tried-and-tested comfort, but will never advance the passenger experience the same way that a truly…
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Delta is the latest airline to act upon its promises to become a more sustainable carrier in the future. While perhaps seen as small steps, by sheer volume, these amount to some substantial changes. Starting this month, the airline will refresh its onboard product offerings with artisan-made amenity kits, introduce recycled bedding, reusable and biodegradable…
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American Airlines and British Airways have now announced greater detail surrounding their plans to co-locate operations at JFK’s Terminal 8 from December this year. Together the two airlines co-location should offer a more seamless customer experience while also supporting the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s ambitious plan to transform JFK into a leading…
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Lufthansa has already got a competitive Premium Economy seat, however the carrier saw it time to upgrade some of its fleet. While the ZIMmagic Premium Economy product from seat manufacturer ZIM already features on much of Lufthansa’s long haul fleet, the carrier has looked to both improve its product, and match the new Swiss Premium…
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You won’t be blamed if you’ve not heard of Northern Pacific, however in the past few days it’s been making some waves as it seemingly is starting to ramp up its operations. There’s discussion of a launch event in Anchorage later in the month, where we’ll get to understand a little bit more about this…
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As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at some of our most popular stories on the site this year, as well a few of our own favourites too. Do let us know what were your own personal highlights too, we’d love to hear from you. Here’s to another exciting year in…
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Plaza Premium has continued its expansion in The Americas with two new lounges, open in Toronto’s main International Airport, YYZ. As well as a pre-departures ‘Concept’ lounge, situated in Terminal 1, the pay-for lounge company has created an impressive new Landmark lounge in the departures area of Terminal 3. The Concept lounge offers a convenient…
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SAS has just revealed its photos of its new A321LR cabin. The transatlantic narrow body joins the carrier’s wide-body fleet in connecting the two continents, but trying to keep the same passenger experience touch-points across fundamentally different airframes was a difficult ask. While the airline sadly hasn’t been able to provide all aisle access, by…
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After a year’s hiatus due to the pandemic, TheDesignAir is pleased to announce the return of its annual Airline Design awards. Celebrating the very best in airline passenger experience, brand and design across the globe, the awards – now in its 9th year – have once again bestowed its leading design airlines, new products and…
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Taiwanese carrier China Airlines has just received its first A321neo passenger aircraft which heralds a new era in the airline’s narrow-body fleet. A total of 25 of these advanced Airbus aircraft will enter the fleet over the coming years, which will operate short-haul routes including Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Cross-strait. The aircraft itself features…
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Brands create identities to stand out, visually represent what they stand for and what they do. Simple brand images are the ones that work best, if we said golden arches, globally everyone would know we’re talking about McDonalds. A bitten apple, Apple. The list may be short, but iconic. Airlines also have to stand out…
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Today saw Singapore Airlines officially launch its highly-anticipated new 737 cabin products, which will be rolled out on its Boeing 737-8 fleet in the coming weeks. Since the airline merged SilkAir back in to Singapore Airlines, there’s been a lot of anticipation on how the airline can match its impressive long-haul product with a short…
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