In a recent event in Malaysia, the country’s flag-carrier revealed new cabins for the airline’s impending A330neo fleet, with the first of these shiny new aircraft scheduled for delivery in Q3 2024. We are thrilled to see the airline really doubling down on its proposition in a bid to win back market share. The A330neo…
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There aren’t many hotels that are steeped in history, yet both Suiran and sister property Shisui both share similar traits. With hundreds of years of legacy between them, staying in these unassuming design properties hidden on the outskirts of two of Japan’s oldest and most important cities are destinations unto themselves. Working perfectly as a…
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It seems Etihad Airways has finally completed its upgrade to the passenger experience by enriching the offering with a stunning new collection of amenity kits and loungewear created in partnership with renowned Italian design house, Giorgio Armani, the sister brand to Armani/Casa that already features in the airlines bedding and tableware. The new amenity kit…
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Tomorrow marks the launch of oneworld’s second branded lounge, and the first in Europe, following quickly after the premier lounge launch in Seoul. The lounge is situated in the footprint of the older British Airways lounge, situated next to a brand new Aspire lounge which will open shortly too. In an emerging trend of managed…
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Where Air India’s recent rebranding failed to excite with the new master brand, livery and hard product, the recent announcement of enhancements to the soft product launch has filled in gaps to the missed deeper connection to its national heritage. This week has seen the airline reveal new amenity kits, a luxurious and sustainable bedding…
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On a recent visit to Mexico, I spent a few days in Riviera Maya to recharge and relax. Considering this wasn’t my first visit to Cancun, and there was a relatively new hotel on the block, I took the opportunity to try out Hotel Unico 20 87 Riviera Maya to see what this design-led all-inclusive…
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I’ve been wanting to try Austrian Airlines Business Class for some time now. The airline has been on my radar as a lesser-known carrier of the Lufthansa Group, but after hearing such good things about the airline, it was time to take the plunge on a transatlantic flight I had to take from London to…
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If you’ve travelled through Hong Kong recently, you might have stumbled across a new bar situated atop of the Sky Bridge connecting HKIA’s satellite terminal. Dubbed ‘Intervals’ It’s Plaza Premium Group’s new bar offering, is set to offer “a remarkable culinary journey,” states the press release. “Passengers passing through Hong Kong can now indulge in…
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A few months ago, I covered the new Riyadh Air livery, and how that in principal it’s one of the most elegant new liveries in the skies, but it the logotype on the fuselage was a little too dominant for an elegant, premium carrier. Well, it seems like they’ve listened, as not only their new…
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LOT Polish Airlines is continuing its drive towards enhancing the passenger experience. The new LOT Business Lounge at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport will be the first space of its kind outside Europe. It will be opening in the second half of 2024. Much like the new interiors for the aircraft, the lounge’s new interior will be…
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Beond is an interesting proposition. Through the hype and slightly clumsy press launch, there’s a glimmer of something quite adventurous that could actually work once the kinks are ironed out. Connecting via Dubai certainly doesn’t make for a luxurious experience from Europe to the Maldives, but it’s no different to how many already get there.…
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You will be forgiven for not knowing of this new Bermuda-based startup, but it’s certainly going to be getting a lot of attention in the coming months. The airline has been a long time in the making. Bermudair actually comes from Adam Scott—the same CEO who wanted to start Odyssey, the all-business class airline that…
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As from today, Brussels Airlines’ long-haul business class passengers travelling to Sub-Saharan Africa can enjoy a fully renovated Sunrise Lounge in the T-zone of Brussels Airport. With, among others, more seating, more sleeping comfort and a larger variety of quality food and drinks, the Belgian home carrier has responded to some of the apparent needs…
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On a visit to Tokyo soon after travel restrictions ended, we were keen to find out how the city had evolved. Where better than at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon which, despite officially opening in late 2020, had until that moment been denied a real launch. And while at the time of our stay there was…
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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you might not know that New York’s ‘hometown airline’ JetBlue has been operating across the Atlantic for almost two years, offering a value proposition to the full-service concept on the highly competitive route between JFK and London. Although it’s taken us a few months to sort a trip,…
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On the coattails of the latest interior refresh for the European carrier, SWISS has just reopened its Non-Schengen Lounge in Zurich Airport’s Terminal D. Extending over 650 square metres, the fully refurbished lounge offers travellers a comfortable retreat with appealing views of the airport’s apron activity and the Alps beyond. The additional lounge will be…
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After the announcement of Vistara and Air India’s merging, it seems the carrier has already started to step up its passenger experience offering. Partnering with the international travel and lifestyle brand TUMI, Air India seems to be putting the right foot forward in upgrading what has been a very tired, and unloved product for some…
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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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Situated a mere 30-minute seaplane ride north of Male’s International Airport in the pristine waters of Noonu Atoll, is Medhufaru. This two-kilometre island may not be well known by its real island name, but it is known by thousands of influencers by a different guise – Soneva Jani – one of the most iconic, pristine,…
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It may not be first to the punch, but following on Lufthansa’s coattails, Swiss has revealed its own personalised ‘SWISS Senses’ air travel experience from 2025 onwards utilising exactly the same hardware as sister carrier Lufthansa. The centrepiece of the new customer product is a redesigned cabin for the airline’s long-haul aircraft fleet, which was…
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Lufthansa peeled back the curtain today on its new Allegris product, with a wide range of products now on offer across its future wide-bodied fleet. We’ve already covered most of this story here including the myriad of Business Class seating options that Allegris will be offering. However, perhaps the scene stealer today is Lufthansa’s First…
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Qantas has finally unveiled prototypes of the First and Business cabins on the aircraftthat will fly passengers non-stop from Australia to New York and London from late 2025 along with a detailed virtual reality fly-through render of the aircraft cabins. This comes shortly after news of a new First Class lounge that will open in…
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Every time we visit Tokyo we’re struck by how charmingly low-rise it is. By contrast with other Asia capitals, there’s been no crazy arms race to build the tallest tower. But that also means that, where you can get up high, you’re rewarded with unbroken views. That’s certainly the case at Andaz Tokyo, on the…
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Air China has just revealed images of its new A350 interiors, which feature the Recaro CL6720 seat in Business Class, something we reported back in 2021. These new seats replace the existing Super Diamond seats found on the rest of the A350 fleet, with a more condensed seating LOPA, yet the additional benefit of privacy…
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For so many, the writing has been on the wall for First Class. After all, the gulf between First and Business Class was bridged by a wave of suites, fully flat beds and all-aisle access in the larger more affordable J class cabin. This means for many now, the upgrade to First Class simply meant…
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It’s with great pleasure TheDesignAir’s 10th annual award winners have been announced today, celebrating the very best in aviation design, brand and passenger experience from across the globe. We’re thrilled to see airlines once again investing in passenger experience and brand, and there have been many excellent entrants and shortlisted entries this year. We’re thrilled…
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Award-winning Taiwanese carrier Starlux has just received its first of over a dozen new A350s, destined to start flying long-haul routes next year. As well as being the first carrier to have Airbus’ latest version of the XWB, which features an additional 4″ of internal width at the shoulder level and electronically tinted windows. While…
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I’ve been saying for a while that Etihad has been repositioning itself as the leader of boutique carriers. In fact, an impromptu conversation in my hotel bar last night with two Emirati ladies reaffirmed this belief, who excitingly dubbed the carrier as more ‘exclusive and chic’ than its larger, brasher, blingier, counterparts. It seems today…
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Now we aren’t saying AA’s existing lounges weren’t terrible, but apart from a handful, they weren’t much to write home about either. However the good news is that American Airlines has decided to up the ante with a redesign of its Admirals Club lounges across the United States. Customers will first experience the new look…
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Condor wowed us recently with a bold new brand image. Some of you might have already seen these bold stripey aircraft in the skies, which are certainly standing out on airport aprons. In fact, the intended purpose to generate interest and awareness of the brand is working, with many images popping up on social media,…
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