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 Last year saw the retirement of its 747s which have now been replaced by an all Airbus A330 fleet.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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Opinion: Could Etihad become the Queen of Boutique Carriers post-pandemic?

We’ve been drowning in a sea of short-term hygiene messages across the last year as airlines have rapidly ‘masked up’ in order to win over what little passenger volume there has been. Today’s passengers have been assaulted by marketing imagery of planes being scrubbed within an inch of their life, crew in body suits and…

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Singapore Airlines updates Batik Motif with immaculate attention to detail

Launched a little over a week ago, Singapore Airlines has refreshed its iconic Batik Motif that is used throughout the passenger journey and brand. Celebrated in a two-minute film, the airline has kept part of its design language current with the most subtle of shifts.  Simplifying what was an elaborate and intricate design, most commonly…

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PaperClip Design’s ‘Peacock’ concept could ruffle some feathers

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. 

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Etihad latest airline to celebrate its home with a new safety video

Etihad Airways is the latest carrier to unveil a new safety video, with no surprises that the carrier has opted to film on location at Louvre Abu Dhabi, to give passengers across the globe, a glimpse of what attractions the capital has to offer. This is an emerging trend, something we’ve already covered a few times,…

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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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Hawaiian now flies three of the longest domestic flights in the world

Hawaiian Airlines has been one of our favourites in North America for quite a while, they’ve managed to set their stall as a strong, identifiable and unique airline from both passenger experience and brand perspectives. Its fleet has recently been updated and with the addition of new A321’s focussing on the West Coast, it’s freed…

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Hot Hotel: Santorini Sky, Santorini

For those of us who are trying to juggle the ever-changing landscape when it comes to emerging from our stay-at-home caves and craving some Vitamin D, there’s finally good news on the Horizon. As countries start their vaccination programmes, destinations like Greece are finally opening up to those vaccinated, COVID-free and those who’ve recovered from the virus…

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Will regional carrier Widerøe be the first airline to provide an electric-powered commercial aircraft in 2026?

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…

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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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Air Canada reveals latest Retrojet paint scheme on the A220

Last week, Airbus opened its paint hangar doors in Mirabel and let us peek inside where the latest aircraft is being painted for Air Canada. Instead of the usual black and white ‘Raccoon mask’ livery that Air Canada is now sporting across its fleet, the airline has opted to nod to its history, revealing its…

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Airbus’ impending A320 Airspace cabin gives airlines more opportunities to build branded experiences

Airbus is soon to bring its first A320 family Airspace cabin to the market thanks to JetBlue’s new A321 which will be flying in just a few months’ time. Airbus has just recently started flight testing of the first Airspace Single-Aisle aircraft. A second phase of in-flight testing will take place in February to validate…

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TheDesignAir launches ‘Design Details’ on YouTube

TheDesignAir is pleased to announce another show on YouTube. Titled ‘Design Details’ we lift the lid on the latest product launches and get to grips with what this means for us, as passengers. The show joins our regular round up to give our readers more ways to consume our content.

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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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Geven and Priestmangoode join forces on next generation of seats

Geven is working with UK design agency PriestmanGoode on a new family of next-generation aircraft seats. This isn’t the first time the two companies have crossed paths. In fact, Geven’s Comoda AQ seats (the same product found in recently delivered Uganda Airlines’ A330 premium economy) were the same hard product in Priestmangoode’s South African Airlines short-haul…

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Why so blue? The dominance of the colour in the industry

Aviation is awash with blue. Approximately a decade ago, the skies were filled with blue liveries, interiors lined wall-to-wall with blue seats, carpets, and uniforms in every shade of navy. While design studios have gradually peeled airline brands away from such a strong design vertical, what caused such visual dominance in the industry?

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TheDesignAir launches new regular video round up on YouTube

As part of our continued evolution we’ve now created a new round up video which we’ll release regularly to help summarise some of the latest advancements in airline and airport passenger experience that we feature on the site. Now is your chance to sign up, subscribe, like and comment on the videos as we craft…

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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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Could tactile, textured finishes be an emerging trend post-COVID?

It’s long been established in scientific fields that memories, emotions, and senses are all tied together. The same region of the brain that processes the five senses is also partly responsible for storing emotional memories. In the airline field, that means passengers are more likely to remember and build brand memories that tie in all five senses…

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Hot Hotel: Soneva bucks the trend in travel and hospitality with an unlimited all-inclusive product ‘Soneva Unlimited’

We’ve always kept an eye on Soneva, it epitomises the future of hospitality. The brand isn’t new, but the properties are well known within the industry for being the epitome of luxury, sustainability and service. While Soneva Fushi, situated in the Maldives might be the longest serving property in the portfolio, Soneva Jani – its…

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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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Sky-high ambitions. Will airport roofs see greater utilisation post-Covid?

Throughout 2020, we’ve seen the great efforts airlines have made to quickly adapt the passenger experience from check-in all the way through to onboard. However, airports across the world have also had to play a part in enhancing social distancing and help space out the flow of passengers throughout terminals and gate areas. Luckily, both…

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Ho Chi Minh’s newest super-hub airport Long Thanh, in Vietnam starts construction

Situated approximately 40kms from Ho Chi Minh City Centre, the latest super-hub airport in Asia last week commenced construction, with an estimated first phase completion in 2025. The Long Thanh International Airport is one of the most interesting new airport developments globally right now, and reflects the relatively huge upswing in air travel to and…

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Trip Report: TAP Portugal A330neo Business Class December 2020

TAP Portugal is well known as one of the cheapest Star Alliance carriers, however, with the addition of its new Airbus Neo fleet, the aging business class cabin (albeit comfortable) has been given a new lease of life thanks to brand new Recaro seats.

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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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