Launched today in London’s still-trendy Shoreditch, Virgin Atlantic’s new A330neo product should indeed turn heads. Launching a brand new product across a small yet nimble fleet usually means that the product offering becomes increasingly fragmented, but actually the airline has stumbled upon better synergies than ever on its Transatlantic offering. Introduced on Virgin Atlantic’s 16…
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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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After many months of speculation, it seems that Norse Atlantic Airways is ready to disrupt the Transatlantic market. After checking the site this evening (28th April), TheDesignAir has revealed that Norse has now officially launched its booking engine and seems it will be commencing operations to JFK on 14th June. Now, its not news that…
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Back in late 2017, London City Airport went through a new branding exercise that introduced a softer, lifestyle approach stripping away its hard-faced business image that reflected the city worker demographic looking to hop to and from Europe, New York and the rest of the UK. Brought to life by The Allotment, the new brand…
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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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Regular visitors to T3 at London’s Heathrow Airport might believe the terminal’s Aerotel has been operating for months thanks to the large signage outside arrivals, but the terminal has just welcomed its 2nd hotel in close proximity to Terminals 3 and 2. This new space allows guests to book in several hour blocks or overnight…
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In the past Virgin Atlantic was seen as the coolest of underdogs – the carrier for those in the know, flown by the rich and famous across the Atlantic. Onboard massage therapists, inflight bars, even a business class lounge with a Jacuzzi used to be signature parts of the passenger experience. Times have changed however,…
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Virgin Atlantic has just pulled back the drawstring on a series of eco-savvy amenity enhancements across its cabins. Naturally focussing on their Upper Class product, which has recently had an upgrade, there are a plethora of extra enhancements from socks to pyjamas. The hero of these enhancement is Virgin’s quirkily-named ‘Goodie bag’ which features REN…
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Malaysia Airlines is certainly worth considering when selecting long-haul flights through the Asia region as its easy to find affordable fares, and its product is certainly of an international standard. It’s continued to improve its position as one of the leading luxury carriers in the sky by revealing new amenity kits, Wi-Fi and upgraded soft…
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Today saw the official arrival of the British Airways A350. The aircraft which was meant to arrive on Friday was delayed due to the air traffic control and weather issues at Heathrow. However, today saw no sign of either of those. Under perfectly blue skies, British Airways wheeled out the new aircraft which in reality arrived…
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While all eyes are currently on British Airways’s new A350-1000 aircraft, which will be the next big ‘thing’ for the IAG carrier, BA has also rolled out the next phase of its investment in its ‘World Traveller Plus’ premium economy product, with a range of new amenities for customers. Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ Director of…
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Flight: WY103 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class Route: MCT-LHR Date: March 2019 http://www.omanair.com After our outbound trip in Oman Air’s outstanding First Class product, it was time to return home and give the equally impressive Business Class a run for its money. While the Apex Suite is a seasoned favourite for many travellers, it is interesting to see how this…
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Flight: GF2 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class (Flacon Gold) Route: LHR-BAH Date: October 2018 http://www.gulfair.com Gulf Air used to be one of the leading carriers in the Gulf region, however, bold upstarts like Emirates quickly stole the crown, with heavy investment in new aircraft and a fairly courageous growth plan, leaving Gulf Air with a lacklustre, dated product that…
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Good news to the 27million passengers who use Stansted every year. After selecting the designers of the new £130m Terminal in March 2018, Pascall+Watson have revealed impressive visuals of how London Stansted’s planned new Arrivals Terminal will look when it opens in 2020. The artist’s impressions include aerial views of the terminal entrance and plaza…
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Heathrow has no less than forty-something lounges across the expansive airport, but the offering can vary substantially, so selecting the right lounge can be a bit of a challenge. For those fellow aviation nuts out there though, the airport does offer a range of lounges with excellent views of the runways and apron, making spotting…
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In an exclusive media event at Heathrow yesterday, Qatar Airways showed off its Quite product on the only operating aircraft with the new seats. TheDesignAir was one of the very few media outlets allowed at this exclusive show around. Currently only available on the 777 aircraft, the QSuite – Qatar Airways’ latest business class product…
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We expect the news of British Airways’ new partnership will bright a sigh of relief to frequent fliers of the airline. The White Company and British Airways today announced its plans to improve the bedding and amenity kit offering for Business Class passengers, following similar moves from the likes of Delta, SAS and United. Later this year,…
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High-density premium seating is where it is at this year, and tangerine‘s new ‘Adagio’ seat for Aviointeriors is the epitome of this new trend. While the market for fully-flat seats has taken a few years to mature and settle, industrial designers are constantly making small changes to perfect the model from a cost, LOPA and passenger…
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Cathay Pacific may not be known as a distillery per-se, but the airline has rolled out its first beer, specially crafted for pressurised cabins. Named after “Betsy”, Cathay Pacific’s first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3 which flew passengers around the region in the 1940s and 1950s, Betsy Beer will be first served to First and Business…
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Flight: UL504 Aircraft Type: A330-300 Class: Business Class Route: LHR-CMB Date: September 2016 http://www.srilankan.com SriLankan Airlines has passed by our radar for far too long, and their new business class product has now been flying for a few years on their A330-300 aircraft. Featuring all-aisle access, WiFi and quite frankly, amazing cuisine, it was time to take this Oneworld…
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Today saw the launch of Cathay Pacific’s 4-times-a-week service between Hong Kong and Gatwick airport. The airline has rolled out it’s most technologically advanced airframe on the route, the A350-900, which also flies to Dusseldorf from Hong Kong. Being one of the lucky few invited for the inaugural event at Gatwick, TheDesignAir was able to…
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Championing British design talent, Heathrow Airport today announced the globally renowned architectural practice, Grimshaw as their concept designers after a rigorous assessment from a shortlist of four of the UK’s top architects which also included Zaha Hadid, HOK and Benoy. “Grimshaw were successful in the competitive tender process not only for their visionary concept designs, which pushed…
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Flight: AF456 Aircraft Type: B777-200 Class: Business Class Route: CDG-GRU Date: April 2016 http://www.airfrance.com Ever since our failed chance to experience Air France’s new business class last year, we’ve been keen for another opportunity to experience Air France’s latest and acclaimed new hard product, that has moved the carriers 2 x 3 x 2 seating to a 1 x 2…
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Emirates just announced their fourth daily flight to Dubai from London Gatwick airport, filling the large gap between the lunchtime and evening flight. Starting October 1st, the flight will take off at 16.50, it’s the perfect addition to the airline’s extensive nine other daily flights from the UK Capital. With six flights from London Heathrow and four from Gatwick,…
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Here at TheDesignAir, we really do believe the rain clouds stalk us, as whenever we go away the rain seems to follow. So imagine our surprise and delight that Abu Dhabi based Etihad has made a promise for travellers booking with their Holiday division, Etihad Holidays. In what we think is possibly a worldwide first, when…
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ANA’s hunt for seven talented British chefs to take off on a unique trip to Japan to learn the secrets of the country’s legendary cuisine has taken another step forward. The chefs have now been whittled down to ANA’s seven ‘Samurai Chefs.’ The up-and-coming chefs from the UK, were whisked across to Japan for an immersive culinary…
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London seems to be gaining a lot of new lounges this year, with OneWorld carriers Cathay Pacific and Qantas both giving a facelift to their ground operations. The Australia carrier announced last week that the next location for its flagship global lounge will be at Heathrow airport with construction to begin in September 2016. While T3 in…
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British Airways this week announced they will start flying from Stansted to four sunshine routes starting May 28th. This will be the fourth major London airport the carrier will fly from, including Heathrow and Gatwick and London City, leaving only London Luton currently unserved by the carrier. The airlines latest route network, operated by BA Cityflyer’s…
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Garuda Indonesia has appointed International transport design specialist, JPA Design to create its new aircraft cabin interiors as the airline expands its fleet and builds on its reputation as a world-class carrier. The same design agency that created the DoveTail business class seat (as shown above) and recently Singapore Airlines new Premium Economy Class seat. Garuda’s new…
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Flight: AV121 Aircraft Type: A330-200 Class: ‘Previous Generation’ Business Class Route: LHR-BOG Flight time: 10:27 Seat: 1J Date: July 2015 http://www.avianca.com Best for: People travelling in pairs. The previous generation business class seats are in a 2 x 2 x 2 format. Fares are low, and offer good connections through most of South & Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. The crowd: Mainly South American…
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