TheDesignAir Awards 2025 public vote has concluded, but design studios, airlines, and airports can still enter the Design Innovation Award by submitting innovations introduced in 2025. This award recognizes advancements in passenger experience, with a submission deadline extended to November 28th. Last year’s winner, OmanAir, transformed its First Class to an efficient Business Class ‘Studio’.
Read More
Luxury in aviation is evolving from material possessions to experiential offerings, mirroring shifts in hospitality. Airlines should focus on crafting memorable journeys through cultural storytelling, meaningful amenities, and curated experiences. The future of air travel luxury lies in emotional connections and unique rituals, not merely tangible comforts.
Read More
ANA is redefining business-class comfort with its new THE Room FX, a design evolution that replaces traditional seat recline with a multi-postural seating system. This innovative approach offers greater space and refined passenger experience, focusing on usability and sensory comfort. Rollout begins in 2026, emphasizing ANA’s commitment to premium airline innovation.
Read More
While TheDesignAir Awards 2024 public vote is due to end on the 11th November, there’s still a chance for design studios, airlines and airports to enter our Design Innovation Award which celebrates innovation in the passenger experience field that truly enhances the traveller journey. From new seats to game-changing passenger experience products, sustainable service ware…
Read More
The Aircraft Interiors Expo showcases innovations in airline seating and technology, reflecting a post-COVID resurgence in passenger experience. Despite excitement, airlines face challenges in setting distinct identities and navigating a plethora of choices. Collaboration among suppliers and embracing an open IP approach could enhance future developments in airline interiors, promoting faster innovation and integration.
Read More
While TheDesignAir Awards 2023 public vote is due to end on the 8th November, there’s still a chance for design studios, airlines and airports to enter our recently launched Design Innovation award which celebrates innovation in the passenger experience field that enhances the traveller journey. From new seats to game-changing passenger experience products, sustainable service…
Read More
It seems like Cathay has just opened the lid of the business class of its future 777 fleet today with a teaser video, which will replace the existing Super Diamond and Cirrus Business Class seat that is found across the long-haul widebodied fleet of today. Interestingly, there hasn’t been a lot of detail around the…
Read More
While TheDesignAir Awards 2022 public vote is due to end on the 6th November, there’s still a chance for design studios, airlines and airports to enter our recently launched Design Innovation award which celebrates innovation in the passenger experience field that enhances the traveller journey. From new seats to covid innovations, sustainable service ware to…
Read More
Hangar 22 is Air New Zealand‘s moniker for its research lab, which has been working on the future of ultra-long haul cabins for no less than 5 years in a mirror effort to Qantas’s Project Sunrise. There’s good reason for Air New Zealand to invest heavily in a new product, as the airline will start…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Virgin Atlantic has just revealed its latest social space found on the final five A350’s that will be delivered for the carrier. Instead of ‘The Loft’ – the social space found on its first wave of A350’s – the last few Airbus aircraft to be delivered have been configured for the carrier’s leisure routes. This…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Pass us the salt, please. It might not be the first airline globally to go down this route, however, for the first time in its history, British Airways has decided to unlock the doors to its warehouse this Christmas to give customers and aviation fans the unique opportunity to get their hands on items from…
Read More
Meet Pure Skies, PriestmanGoode’s answer to the future of flight, responding to the recent curve ball Covid-19 threw at cabin designers of today. The London-based design studio created a new design concept to support the future success of the aviation industry – understanding that a clean slate is needed to bring confidence back to the…
Read More
Unless you’ve had your head under a rock, you might have noticed that airlines are struggling to survive right now. Their entire model is based on free movement between destinations, a right that has since been rescinded by the global governments who are trying to get a grip on the pandemic. As such, airlines are…
Read More
While Finnair isn’t the first carrier to introduce a hygiene amenity kit, as of tomorrow passengers will be able to enjoy this simple complimentary addition to their passenger experience. While other airlines have brought a variety of kits out, what makes Finnair stand out is the fact that this kit is sustainable, with a focus…
Read More
With such a fast changing narrative around Coronavirus it’s difficult for airlines to plan for a post-Covid future. From social distancing to personal shields, designers have been supporting airlines across the globe, working quickly to help navigate the scale and impact of such a widespread pandemic. Most solutions created have answered a problem, whether it’s…
Read More
Factorydesign certainly hasn’t let Covid-19 stifle its creative streak. In yet another innovative concept, this time aimed more at the LCC model, the London based design studio has created yet another confidence-inducing personal shield which has application beyond the cover-19 pandemic. Based on the mental and physical comfort considerations that cautious travellers are considering, the…
Read More
There’s quite a lot of commentary on Covid-19 right now, and the research is constantly evolving. There’s already some innovative designs on the drawing board for helping with the perception of social distancing, including Factorydesign’s Isolation Kit and Aviointeriors’ Janus seat concept. While Factorydesign’s concept actually is quite smart and has a post Covid-19 application,…
Read More
While no one has successfully modelled the complex commercial outlook of the airline industry over the coming months, some airlines are predicting it will take many years to return to pre-Covid19 levels of revenue, profitability and passenger numbers. When borders reopen there might be a small surge in passenger numbers, but to get to 2019…
Read More
While WHO’s recommendation to reduce the spread of a virus is through the alteration of passenger behaviour and that actually aircraft – with their HEPA filtration and regular cleaning – are relatively clean already; there’s still passenger perception to overcome which is sometimes deeply rooted in emotional based reasoning rather than scientifically proven facts. It’s…
Read More
A recent National Institute of Health report highlighted the length of time that different viral strains could possibly live on surfaces. Most of us have heard how a trace of Covid-19 can live on plastic and metal for up to three days (albeit ever reducing in strength), whereas copper and cardboard/paper are found to be…
Read More
As the phrase goes, “good things come in small packages.” In 2018, the airline industry carried 4.4billion passengers. It has become an integral part of human life, but it’s also an industry of behemoth players. In fact, in 2018, the top 10 airline groups transported over one third of the entire annual traffic, leaving the…
Read More
While our previous article asked airlines to think differently, the global landscape continues to evolve at a speed that few can keep up with. You might have noticed we’ve not been updating recently, but considering the current landscape, you can’t blame us. At TheDesignAir, we focus on positivity in the airline industry, and we’re a…
Read More
Coronavirus is having a deep, profound effect on the industry stretching and pushing airlines across the globe who have to react quickly to an ever-changing landscape. The playing field is not just moving on a daily basis but changing shape and morphing to something that the airline industry has never had to face before. The…
Read More
Air New Zealand has a fairly unique proposition, offering daily ultra long-haul flights across the globe while catering to a home country with just half the population of London. As such, its had to innovate to remain at the top of it’s game, and has already rolled out products like the (short-lived) Premium Economy Spaceseat,…
Read More
There is good reason why Air New Zealand has recently won the Sustainable Business Leadership award at the Deloitte Top 200 awards in Auckland. It is constantly innovating in their small, but powerful community on the global stage. One of the best examples is how the airline is addressing the fact is serves more than…
Read More
London-based creative firm New Territory has just revealed details of its new spin-off company ‘Universal Movement’ to address the lack of innovation within high density seating on aircrafts and in other transportation environments. Universal Movement’s launch includes the announcement of its first project, Interspace, an innovative approach to the traditional airline seat which utilises a…
Read More