China Airlines, often underrated, impresses with its cohesive design and passenger experience. Notable for innovative interiors and cozy lounges, it offers a dual fleet of A321neo and A350 aircraft. Excellent service, thoughtful amenities, and gourmet meals shine, despite minor areas for improvement. The airline evolves steadily, reflecting Taiwanese charm throughout.
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Saudia Airlines, often overlooked, is evolving amid regional competition. With a focus on modernity and traditional hospitality, its First Class experience stands out for service excellence, including onboard chefs and trained butlers. While the hard product awaits updates, the airline positions itself as a serious contender against major Middle Eastern carriers.
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As the long-haul narrowbody era gains momentum, Iberia has joined the likes of JetBlue, Aer Lingus and TAP Air Portugal by launching transatlantic routes with its brand-new A321XLR. the aircraft offers a different seat to its two other staggered forward-facing widebodied business class products. So the airline has a challenge on its hands to deliver…
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Turkish Airlines has launched its Istanbul-Sydney route, initially using the Boeing 777-300ER but now operating with the superior Airbus A350-900. The journey includes a refueling stop in Kuala Lumpur and celebrates exceptional in-flight service, dining, and luxurious lounges in Istanbul. Future plans include nonstop flights, enhancing travel between Europe and Australia.
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Iberia has been rolling out its new ‘Next’ cabin across the A350 fleet. The new cabins mean upgrades across all classes, with the most noticeable improvements being in the Business Class cabin. The cabin now features new Recaro seats with doors which offer greater privacy, but do the new cabins elevate the entire passenger experience?…
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It’s mind-boggling to think that Qantas has been flying its A380s for almost two decades. These behemoth gentle giants almost saw an untimely end because of the turn of the 2020’s but thankfully airlines are bringing these flagship aircraft back on key routes across the globe. Qantas is one such carrier that is not only…
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TheDesignAir was lucky enough to be invited to trial Condor’s brand new A330-900Neo ‘2-litre’ aircraft just a few months after it launched the shiny new plane to the world. Jumping at the chance, we wanted to explore in-depth the reasons why the airline won both best new livery and most improved airline brand 2022 last…
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I was lucky enough to be invited onboard Air New Zealand’s inaugural JFK-AKL flight in September, the 4th longest flight in the world. I’ve done similar trips such as Emirates A380 LAX-DXB flights, but there’s something more unfoundedly daunting about crossing swathes of Ocean. No human likes to be stuck in a confined space for…
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Last month, we were lucky to try out SriLankan’s Business Class again, approximately 4 years since the last time, which was the first time since the pandemic, and it gave us an opportunity to see how the carrier was faring post-COVID. SriLankan has always been one of our secret favourite carriers. It often sits below…
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Flight: TK193Aircraft Type: A350-900Class: Business ClassRoute: IST-GRUDate: October 2021 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines has continued to operate throughout the pandemic. In fact, it’s been one of the largest international carriers in Europe for the past 18 months. However, the pandemic also saw the full launch of its A350 operations, which headed to destinations such as Manila, Jakarta and Sao Paulo, meaning…
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Flight: LA8084 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: GRU-LHR Date: January 2019 http://www.latam.com LATAM‘s 777 has long been on our radar to experience. While we had experienced the 787-8 operated by LAN back in 2015, the 777 offered a very different experience, with a traditional 2 x 3 x 2 configuration in business class with the ‘dreaded’ middle seat. While…
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Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: May 2018 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines impressed TheDesignAir last year with a trip on the same route. With the impending opening of the New Istanbul Airport this year, along with new transit services such as the Bosphorus Experience the airline is continuing to evolve and improve, but we wanted to see…
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Flight: DE2114 Aircraft Type: B767-300ER Class: Business Class Route: FRA-CUN Date: May 2018 http://www.condor.com While a recent announcement that Condor is going to replace its ‘ageing’ fleet of Boeing 767’s may have hit the headlines, we decided to take this leisure-airline hybrid for a spin to see what their business class product delivers. Although part of the Thomas Cook Group,…
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Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: April 2017 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines has certainly caught our attention recently. In our first report on the airline’s short-haul product, they impressed us with a region-beating business class product. As part of our three part series we were happy to explore their signature long haul product, which stars in their latest…
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