Saudia launches new uniforms, trialling on London and Paris routes

Saudia has just announced the rollout of its new cabin crew uniforms, featuring a “refined, new take on the attire” designed for all members of the hospitality team onboard. Saudia began the preview of the new uniform on the airline’s Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Heathrow routes, with plans to add the rest of…

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Air France adds new Premium Economy amenity kit, improving collection

This month sees Air France launch a new amenity kit with a brand new design for passengers travelling in its long-haul Premium Economy cabin. The airline regularly updates their kits, and this time they’ve decided to reflect the colder months across the Northern hemisphere right now, wrapping them up in a “padded” texture. This latest…

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Delta reveals new domestic First Class seating for the A321neo

Delta is yet again investing in their cabins, in what seems a steady stream of improvements to their product. Instead of upgrades to their service or long-haul products (and soon-to-be new uniforms) the new Airbus A321neo is getting some love. While slated to be delivered late 2020, the first image has surfaced of a brand new…

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TheDesignAir round-up: 10 things we’ve loved in 2019

2019 has seen yet another year of great innovation, new products, new airlines, new lounges and new airport facilities across the globe. It just goes to show how quickly the industry continues to evolve and respond to the ever-increasing needs of an airline passenger. Just before this year, or even this decade, comes to a…

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Announcing the winners of TheDesignAir awards 2019

TheDesignAir is thrilled to announce the 2019 award winners as voted for by our esteemed judging panel and our readers. Year after year, we see more improvements and enhancements across the passenger experience, from narrow to wide bodies to lounges and airports around the globe. We showcase the 2019 winners here.

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British Airways opens new lounge in Geneva

British Airways has just unveiled the latest in its lounge developments, re-opening the newly refurbished lounge in Geneva as part of its huge ongoing investment in the customer experience which includes other new lounges in Rome, San Francisco, Johannesburg and New York’s JFK. The lounge follows a new design concept for the airline, which debuted…

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British Airways’ new 787-10 cabins, which includes the existing 787-9 First product and new Club Suite, raises a question

British Airways this week announced that it will take delivery of its first of 12 brand new 787-10 Dreamliner in January 2020, with its first route being Atlanta in February next year. It will be quickly followed by a further five Dreamliners in the same year. The four-class aircraft will feature the same exclusive eight…

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Hawaiian launches new culturally sensitive amenities and soft products

Hawaiian Airlines has teamed up with Moloka‘i-based brand Kealopiko to launch and upgrade a new line of in-flight amenities built upon the idea of sustainability. Starting just after Thanksgiving on November 26th, guests travelling between Hawai‘i and the carrier’s International and East-coast US destinations can relax with amenities and soft goods decorated with coral and…

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David Caon does it again, this time with Qantas’ Singapore First Class lounge

On the 2nd December, just over 2 weeks away, we will see the grand opening of the new Qantas first class lounge in Singapore’s Changi International Airport. The lounge follows a wave of ground and inflight product improvements that are helping positioning the carrier as a true luxury, design-led proposition. In the meantime, select passengers…

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UK luxury brand Bamford brings a sense of harmony to Cathay’s First and Business Class cabins

Cathay Pacific might be impacted by the recent unrest on their doorstep, but that isn’t stopping them enticing their premium passengers with an elevated travel experience. The airline has focussed their attention to enhancing the service, soft products and culinary offerings both in its First and Business Class cabins. These enrichments are designed to “offer…

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JAL reveals rebranded 777 Infused Essence cabin by Tangerine, following the recent A350 and 787 cabin designs

It looks like ANA and Japan Airlines are both working hard to improve their passenger experience. While ANA lunched the Room, JAL has also recently launched the upgraded cabin interior of their international Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fleet, extending tangerine’s “Infused Essence” design strategy that was developed for JAL’s newly acquired domestic A350-900(359) aircraft, which launched in…

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British Airways opens new lounge in Johannesburg

British Airways has been busy on the ground recently, and Johannesburg, South Africa was the latest destination to receive a lounge refurbishment. The space, based in O.R. Tambo International Airport has undergone significant refurbishment with the new and improved space being converted into one large lounge with a dedicated boutique dining area for First customers. The…

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As ‘Project Sunrise’ research flight takes to the skies, we ask is ultra-long travel really just pushing passengers too far?

The airline industry has a history of records from fastest flight to longest flight, the highest to the biggest, there’s a list as long as an A340-600 of impressive stats and figures that celebrate the innovation and scientific advancements in the airline industry. For a sector celebrating a centenary this year its amazing how far…

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Roo-hoo! Qantas shows off the newly refurbished A380 product, now flying to London

The first of Qantas’ upgraded A380s welcomed its first passengers yesterday on the London to Sydney route, delivering a radical new cabin enhancement for Australia’s national carrier’s largest aircraft. The multi-million dollar upgrade of their 12 superjumbo aircraft includes new seating across Business and larger Premium Economy cabins and a refresh of the aircraft’s First…

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Air France reopens Washington Dulles lounge, featuring a refreshed, vibrant look and feel

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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Cathay opens latest lounge in Shanghai Pudong

While Cathay Pacific’s latest ethos might have shifted from ‘Life well travelled’ to ‘Move beyond’ it seems that the physical manifestation of the brand hasn’t taken a different tack just yet. The latest offering from the carrier will open tomorrow in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. The re-opening of their existing space in the new airline…

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Alaska Airlines opens doors to new flagship lounge with cosy design flourishes and a dozen Seattle microbrews on tap

Alaska Airlines have finally opened the doors to their impressive new flagship lounge in the North Satellite Terminal at Sea-Tac International Airport. Designed by Seattle architect Graham Baba, this 15,800 square foot lounge oozes West Coast charm, framed by picture windows looking out across the runway, Olympic Mountains and of course, downtown Seattle. Once inside,…

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ANA launches awesome new luxury cabins in collaboration with famed Japanese architect and British design team Acumen

We are in awe by the latest developments at ANA (All Nippon Airways). The airline has just announced its collaboration with famed architect Kengo Kuma and leading British designers Acumen to roll out a total of twelve completely redesigned Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in time for the Tokyo 2020 games. The first redesigned (premium-heavy) aircraft will…

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Singapore Airlines plans on upgrades to Changi lounges, opening 2021

Singapore Airlines has announced it will be investing more than SGD50 million in a somewhat overdue, revamp of its SilverKris and KrisFlyer Gold Lounges at Changi Airport’s Terminal 3. The current lounges will close in phases, starting August 2019 when the renovations commence, and are expected to be completed by mid-2021. While the final look…

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JAL Receives First Airbus, The A350. Designed For Domestic Routes

This week saw JAL receive the first of 8 Airbus A350’s which the airline is bringing online as a workhorse of its domestic operations. The state of the aircraft is actually the first Airbus plane the airline to join the fleet, which was purely Boeing prior to the addition of this wide-body. Although Mitsubishi will…

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American Opens Flagship Lounge In Dallas Fort Worth Terminal D

American has just opened its latest lounge in the airline’s largest hub, in Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) where the airline is seeing continued growth. This follows the LAX Flagship lounge which opened earlier this year. The Flagship Lounge, located in Terminal D spans over 23,000 square feet, with seating for up to 350…

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The Rise Of A New Class, ‘Business Suites’, But Will It See The Death Of First Class?

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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Star Alliance Opens Latest Branded Lounge In Paris, CDG

Star Alliance has officially completed the refurbishment of its seventh branded lounge, first opened 11 years ago at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport. At 980 square metres the lounge offers seating for just over 220 guests and takes influence from Parisian design and architecture. Muted greys, parquet flooring and stylish seating creates another residential approach, reflecting the…

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Icelandair Looks To Local Fauna For Amenity Kit Inspiration

Icelandair is incredibly proud of its cultural and geographical roots. So much so it actually names its aircraft after famous landmarks and natural phenomena found in Iceland. So it’s little surprise the latest range of eco-friendly amenity kits from the carrier will now celebrate Icelandic wildlife too. The new “Dýralíf” (Wildlife) amenity kit collection designed…

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Qatar Airways Continues Bric’s Relationship, With Launch Of Updated Amenity Kits

Qatar Airways has launched its latest range of First Class and Business Class amenity kits. Created by BRIC’s, the new amenity kits will be distributed to passengers in on long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights. The new collection of BRIC’s amenity kits includes designs and contents created for both male and female passengers and feature the same…

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Trip Report: OmanAir B787-9 First Class March 2019

Flight: WY102 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: First Class Route: LHR-MCT Date: March 2019 http://www.omanair.com Oman Air has long been on our radar to offer a trip report. Its careful positioning as a boutique carrier based in the Middle East doesn’t mean it is one of the big and bold ME3, but it is certainly pushing the envelope when it comes…

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British Airways Upgrades First Class With New Amenities And Dining

While British Airways has invested heavily in to its Club World, including new bedding and dining, its very top cabin class was left at the wayside, meaning that in some respects, the Club World product out-delivered the carrier’s flagship product. However, all that is apparently set to change as British Airways’ First cabin undergoes a…

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Qantas Not Only Reveals, But Designs New Singapore Lounge In VR

Qantas is using virtual reality in the development of its new First Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport, which is set to open at the end of 2019. Industrial designer David Caon and his team have created an immersive virtual reality representation of the design concept, providing a better way for Qantas to preview and fine…

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American Introduce New Stylish Amenity Kits, But Do They Hit The Mark?

American Airlines has just introduced a new wave of amenity kits for passengers in its International First & Business, Transcon First & Business and International Premium Economy cabins. As with most airlines, American has teamed up with leading up-and-coming lifestyle and skincare brands. Coming on line mid February, the kits are designed in collaboration with This…

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Air Canada Opens New Lounge In LaGuardia

Air Canada passengers travelling from New York’s LaGuardia rejoice. The new lounge is now officially open. Opened at the start of December, this new space signals the opening of the new Eastern concourse at Terminal B. The new lounge, conveniently located after security near Air Canada’s gates features popular amenities, including refreshments and a business centre,…

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