In our exclusive interview with designer Ilse Crawford from StudioIlse, we reveal that the new London Heathrow Lounge will be the first redesigned lounge to feature both First Class and Business Class areas for passengers. The designer is the same creative force behind the new wave of Cathay Pacific lounges, including the Pier First Class Lounge and new…
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If you are lucky enough to fly with Air France in La Première (First Class) or Business Class from selected US cities in the next 12 months, you will be treated to a brand new menu from Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud. In 2015, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants gave Daniel Boulud the ‘Diners Club Lifetime Achievement…
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TheDesignAir is proud to launch our Top 10 lists for 2016 starting with our Top 10 International First Classes. Competition this year is tough, with a lot of carriers around the world investing into the front of the plane. TheDesignAir has adopted a new judging matrix for 2016, which includes a variety of criteria including cabin design, seat design,…
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Flight: BA073 Aircraft Type: B787-9 Class: ‘First’ First Class Route: LHR-AUH-MCT Date: January 2016 http://www.ba.com We were curious last year to see how British Airways new First product on their 787-9 were going to reinvent the first class experience, but when we had the chance to experience the product first-hand (forgive the pun) we jumped at the chance to see why…
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Emirates last week announced that all new 777-300ER and A380 deliveries will be outfitted with enhanced IFE screens and technology, allowing passengers to flick through a massive 4,300 hours of entertainment. That is virtually half a year non-stop of watching a TV, meaning it is practically impossible to watch the whole entertainment offering, even if…
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Cathay Pacific today opened the long awaited lounge for passengers travelling out of Taiwan Taoyuen International Airport. Located at Level 4 in the Departure Hall of Terminal 1, the newly renovated Taipei lounge adopts the airline’s new lounge design ethos that has already won praise from passengers in other key Cathay Pacific destinations within the region…
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Miami International Airport is getting three new services from Europe today. October 25th 2015 sees British Airways upgraded A380 service arrive at the airport, Virgin Atlantic‘s second daily Miami service, and a brand new connection from Turkish Airlines. The new services mark an expansion to Europe with a large expansion of seats to pick from. British Airways…
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Last week brought the news of two completely contrasting flying experiences, showcasing the increasing divide found between the premium and economy classes. Whilst Emirates unveiled its highly anticipated television commercial featuring Hollywood actress, director and producer Jennifer Aniston, news also came out of a new seating concept that will pack in even more passengers to an…
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Today marks the launch of British Airways‘ brand new Concorde Bar in Singapore Changi airport Terminal 1. This marks the first in a series of luxury British Airways Concorde lounges opening across the world, designed by London based brand experience company Honour. The bar, named after the carriers original supersonic flagship aircraft, is exclusively available for BA’s…
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Flight: CI3 (Westbound) and CI4 (Eastbound) Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Premium Business Class Route: SFO-TPE-SFO Date: September 2015 http://www.china-airlines.com Written for TheDesignAir by Adam Ralston | San Francisco is inarguably one of the busiest US gateways to and from Asia. All US legacy carriers and a multitude of foreign carriers provide direct service to several points of entry throughout…
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The Abu Dhabi – London route has pretty much been ruled by Etihad since their introduction of their award-winning A380. However, British Airways are fighting back, with the announcement of their new 787-9 First Class product that will soon be flying the city pairs (and on to Muscat) Whilst the cabin still is nothing really compared…
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Domestic travel in the US is really heating up now, with a new wave of interiors just launched by United. Starting with the A319 next week, the new interior will be rolled out on A319s, A320s, 737s and 757s throughout 2016. The new interiors are custom created for the airline as it pushes hard to…
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This week marked the arrival of Korean Air‘s new 747-8i passenger aircraft. The first of 10 on order, these new aircraft are heralded as the flagship airframe for this South Korean airline. KAL, which already operates seven 747-8 freighters, has become the first airline in the world to operate both the passenger and freighter version of…
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Passengers flying from Manchester and Birmingham in the UK are starting to see real improvements in the inflight product being offered them. The airports have had fairly good connections around the world for years, but as they have been seen as less important routes for international airlines, the product rolled out to these airports weren’t the flagship products seen…
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SWISS will be ushering-in a new era in the history of its long-haul aircraft fleet next January with the arrival of the first of its nine new Boeing 777-300ERs. In SWISS configuration these new state of the art Boeing aircraft will seat a handsome 340 passengers. In SWISS’s configuration the Boeing 777-300ER will offer eight in…
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We constantly write about how lounges continue to impress us, and this is purely due to the fact there is a lounge war on right now, with airlines around the world trying to offer their passengers an experience to equal their competitors. Cathay Pacific today revealed a lounge that would not just cater for their current passenger…
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It’s a big announcement for Oneworld today. Qantas and American Airlines have just announced a significant expansion of their longstanding relationship, which will see the US carrier fly from Los Angeles to Sydney for the first time and Qantas return to San Francisco. Qantas will return to the Sydney-San Francisco route – currently the most…
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When we recently visited Cathay Pacific‘s new Tokyo Haneda Lounge, we were excited to announce the carrier was expanding the new aesthetic and product across a range of outstations. The latest lounge to join this exclusive list of designer spaces is found in Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Not really being known for its amazing facilities, the…
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You may not have heard of Formia, as they hide behind the behemoth brands they work with, however that may be about to change. This powerful (and award-winning) company manages to partner brands together to offer their passengers the very best in amenities. 2015 has brought a wealth of new luxury partnerships, and a new…
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We were delighted this month to be invited to experience Cathay’s latest airside lounge, situated in Tokyo Haneda, which we reported on late last year. Situated airside in Tokyo Haneda’s International Terminal, the brand new space, on the very highest passenger floor commands unparalleled views of not just Haneda Airport, but Tokyo’s dramatic and iconic skyline. On…
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We love a special jet, and there is no more special than Four Season’s little black number revealed today to the world’s press. This is the basically the Orient Express for the 21st century, carefully transporting 52 very exclusive passengers on a money-can’t-buy itinerary of a lifetime. Working in partnership with Four Seasons Hotels, TCS…
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We are becoming great fans of Air France’s new design direction, with the introduction of their new advertising campaign, both in print and on the screen. One of our eagle-eyed followers (thank you!) managed to spot this new, beautiful and unofficially released video though. A tongue-in-cheek safety video which has to be one of the…
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Flight: EY11 Aircraft Type: A380 Class: First Class “Apartments” Route: AUH-LHR Flight time: 7:25 Seat: 1H Date: Februrary 2015 http://www.etihad.com Best for: Anyone who can afford it. Suitable for those who have to travel a long way and value space, service and comfort above all else. The crowd: An almost-full cabin. With ultimate privacy, it was hard to say, but mainly top level executive travellers.…
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Today is the launch party of China Eastern‘s New 777-300ER which has now commenced commercial service to LA, with the carrier launching the brand new Boeing aircraft on their prestigious trans-Pacific Shanghai – Los Angeles route. With already established routes to America, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu to Shanghai, China Eastern is poised to become a…
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You may have already spotted these new kits, but starting this month, American Airlines have upgraded the premium experience for its customers and paying tribute to the proud history of its employees around the world with all-new amenity kits for most international and transcontinental flights, featuring special, limited edition kits that honor nine airlines that laid…
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This month we delve into that quiet and revered airport sanctuary! TheDesignAir once again, with strategic print partner Airways magazine bring you the very best Top 10 Airport Lounges in the world 2015. As well as appearing online, they will appear in print in every monthly glossy issue of Airways magazine, available around the world. We are impressed with the…
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The future is here. Qantas has partnered with Samsung Electronics Australia to launch a futuristic trial entertainment service that uses Samsung virtual reality (VR) technology to give customers a spectacular three dimensional experience in a 360 degree style interactive format. Qantas’ clunky yet “Apple generation” stylish headsets will completely envelop customers in an immersive virtual world. Currently the entertainment features the sights and…
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United Airlines won’t be beaten, and like Cathay Pacific, have introduced a brand new amenity kit. In a slightly less tactile, but still nicely packaged product, will be offering international premium-cabin customers a unique enhancement to their in-flight experience with specially designed amenity kits available through late spring. As part of a wider initiative to improve…
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Cathay Pacific has been busy over the past few weeks improving what is seemingly a faultless premium product. Today the Hong Kong based airline unveiled its new range of amenity kits for First and Business Class passengers on long-haul flights which feature natural skincare products from renowned Australian brands Aesop and Jurlique (who already feature…
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During the same week ANA announce their partnership with Noma in Japan, Cathay Pacific and Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group announce their first-ever international partnership for crafting unique inflight menus for the airline over the coming 12 months. The strategic partnership brings top chefs from various renowned Mandarin Oriental properties in Hong Kong, London, Paris, New…
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