Qantas has unveiled its first Boeing Dreamliner, the much anticipated aircraft that will “open up new routes and new levels of comfort for travellers.” The latest addition to the Qantas fleet, the 787-9 Dreamliner features next generation seating in Economy, a new Premium Economy and Business Class, with added space and a lower passenger count than…
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If you’ve travelled or are about to travel on Qatar Airways this month, you might find yourself handed a pink amenity kit. These special limited edition kits are now being offered to Qatar Airways’ First and Business Class passengers to mark the airline’s continuing support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Continuing on Qatar Airways existing…
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As from 1st October for three months, the triple Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Lallement will be joining the Air France team. For the first time on board La Première (The carrier’s first class cabin), he will create two new starters and seven new main dishes to delight and surprise its passengers. “Becoming a chef was a…
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Qatar Airways has just extended its existing relationship with both BRIC’S and Nappa Dori for their long and medium-haul passengers. The relationship which started at the end of last year, has seen a new wave of limited-edition amenity kit designs take to the skies. BRIC’S limited edition luxury amenity kits come in a selection of four…
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This week sees the last of American Airlines 47 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft to receive it’s retrofit. This means that the carrier can now boast lie-flat, aisle accessible seats in Business Class and International Wi-Fi on all 67 Boeing 777s in their fleet (which comprises 47 777-200ERs and 20 777-300ERs). The completion will be music to…
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Today saw the grand opening of Emirates’ latest lounge in Boston Logan International Airport. The lounge, which marked a soft opening in April 2017, is now open to Emirates First Class and Business Class customers as well as Platinum and Gold members of Skywards, the airline’s frequent flyer program. This latest lounge reaffirms Emirates’ commitment to…
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Flight: TK1984 & TK1981 Aircraft Type: A321 & 737-800 Class: Business Class Route: LHR-IST-LGW Date: April 2017 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines may be the most International airline, flying to more countries and destinations than any other carrier, both short and long-haul, but its not size that always counts. While the ME3 carriers get most of the attention, Turkish Airlines was certainly worth a…
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Icelandair has recently renovated its new lounge at its hub in Reykjavik’s Keflavik International Airport. The new lounge is an Icelandic haven, and the perfect spot for Saga Class passengers connecting across the atlantic. Featuring volcanic rocks and natural wooden finishes, the lounge couldn’t be more reflective of the iconic natural wilderness that Iceland boasts. On…
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Dubai might be a sprawling metropolis of ever expanding hotels, apartments and skyscrapers, each featuring the biggest and best, it’s not always a matter of following the latest and greatest to find a gem of a hotel. Shangri-La Hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road might be one of the first luxury hotels in Dubai, but its…
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Regular visitors of TheDesignAir may know that we are big fans of the Soneva Group. We’ve also been lucky enough to experience all three properties. While Soneva is the equivalent to Singapore Airlines in the hotel world, the group only has three very exclusive properties around the world (plus a private yacht for aquatic adventure lovers).…
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Air France may be proving themselves as an excellent European airline for connecting passengers, with some of the shortest and most seamless connections in their hub Charles De Gaulle, but the investment into improving the passenger experience runs much deeper than the infrastructure that’s being developed behind the scenes. While AirFrance’s flagship lounge ‘The Park’ in…
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There’s a lot of talk about the nostalgia of the “Golden Age of Travel”, glorified by shows like Pan Am where we see passengers sipping on whiskeys and Martinis as they jetted across the Atlantic, reclined in large recliner seats, dressed impeccably. The warm fuzzy memory of the JetSet era – with the likes of…
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Not to be outdone by their counterparts, Emirates launched new amenity kits and loungewear for their premium passengers at the end of December. The expansive collection of amenities include First Class lounge wear, luxury blankets, skincare from VOYA and a new range of amenity kits from their long-standing partnership with Bulgari. As well as new plush,…
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Launching alongside Plaza Premium’s New Rio Lounge, the new Aerotel, located on level 3 of the international departures pier (airside) in Terminal 2 is the first airside transit hotel in Rio (GIG), and the first for the group in South America. “Aerotel Rio de Janeiro gives new definition to airport transit hotel for travellers having long layover time at the airport or taking flights in the early hours. Designed for travellers…
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You may be forgiven, even as a frequent traveller, to think the above image was snapped inside a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. There are a lot of similarities between Virgin’s signature lounges and Delta‘s latest wave of Sky Clubs. Even the similarities in the names of their airside lounges might get you confused. But Delta’s latest…
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Emirates unveiled their newly renovated business class lounge in Dubai International Airport’s concourse 2 yesterday after two years of work. At a cost of $11m the newly renovated space includes three new dining and drinking experience areas. The new offering is in addition to the seven other locations within the vast lounge with gourmet cuisine prepared…
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Over the next three months, Air France customers will be able to enjoy new culinary delights from both Régis Marcon in La Première class and Guy Martin in Business class on board long-haul flights departing from Paris CDG. Régis Marcon for La Première Air France is famous for its haute-cuisine available on long haul flights.…
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Etihad has just launched its new First Class amenity kits, designed in partnership with two of the leading fashion and beauty brands. The cases have been designed by Christian Lacroix, while the product range now features one of the most prestigious skincare brands, Omorovicza. While they will initially be introduced on A380 flights between Abu…
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Crystal Cruises may not be the first airline we have covered to rethink branded jets for hospitality and cruise operators. In fact, we covered the Four Seasons jet a year and a half ago, but it seems Crystal cruises doesn’t want to be outdone, taking a 777 to a whole new dimension of comfort for…
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Opened yesterday, Etihad Airways‘ new First and Business Class Lounge within the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport is the latest addition to the airlines armada of designer lounges, following Abu Dhabi and Melbourne this year. The lounge services passengers flying on the EY170 from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi and beyond, a long-range…
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Following last month’s Hot Hotel, and part of our same trip to Japan we visit Amanemu’s sister hotel in the country’s capital, AmanTokyo. The hotel opened back in 2014, but has now fully established itself as one of the most luxurious properties in Japan, let alone the world. It was recently applauded Best Design Hotel…
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Flight: TG911 Aircraft Type: A380-800 Class: ‘Royal Silk’ Business Class Route: LHR-BKK Date: June 2016 http://www.thaiairways.com We were lucky enough to fly on Thai Airways almost twenty years ago, one of our first long haul flights as a kid, and since then, the airline has always stuck in our hearts. We remember orchid flowers being distributed to passengers and that…
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Flight: AF457 Aircraft Type: B777-200 Class: Premium Economy Route: GRU-CDG Date: May 2016 http://www.airfrance.com We were very happy to return from our previous trip with Air France in Premium Economy to trial one of the world’s most applauded mid-cabin classes. Featuring a modern clean cabin, well appointed seats and above-standard amenities such as champagne on tap and enhanced amenity kits.…
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Cathay Pacific opened its doors today to the first official visitors of their latest, and largest, lounge in Hong Kong; The New Business Class Lounge at The Pier. The Pier, which plays home to Cathay Pacific’s most recently refurbished First and Business Class lounges at Hong Kong International Airport, has been offering unparalleled levels of comfort and…
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Cathay Pacific has unveiled it’s latest lounge in Vancouver International Airport. Opened two days ago, the lounge is located in the International Terminal, between departure gates D66 and D67. This is the latest in a line of new lounges for the carrier, following the iconic design template which has already been rolled out in Cathay Pacific lounges…
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China Airlines recently unveiled an exclusive look into their new A350 XWB aircraft, coming into service within just a few months. The interiors are, at first glance, carbon copies of the already established 777-300ER (the last of which is just about to be delivered to the carrier), however, in an exclusive TheDesignAir interview with the…
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JAL today announced a new cabin enhancement for their 777-200ER fleet which would ‘raise the bar one class above in all cabin services” according to a press release from the carrier today. The brand new business class dubbed “JAL Sky Suite 777 (SS2)” will launch on the Tokyo Haneda – Bangkok route from July 2016.…
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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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Flight: CX375 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER aircraft Class: Business Class Route: DUS-HKG Flight time: 12hrs30mins Seat: 12G Date: October 2015 http://www.cathaypacific.com Best For: Regular travellers connecting from Germany to Asia with all of the ease of a direct flight. With four flights a week taking place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, this new route is already…
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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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