In a roll out across the 777 fleet, and part of the ‘Best & Beyond’ service and product renovation project, Air France have finally caught up with their international competitors by offering fully flat seating in their business class cabins. The seating may look familiar, being adopted the world round for it’s successful mix of…
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JAL has just announced an industry first, bringing even more comfort to the skies in their first class cabin. Originally the airline used tempur mattresses and pillows in their first class cabin, but after response from their passengers flying in their business class cabin, the airline has rolled out the already established ‘airweave’ mattress and…
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Originally by Dominique Afacan, one of our DesignAir judges for forbes.com. She talks business, beds and Boeing with Roberto Abbondio, Head of Sales and Marketing UK/IR for Cathay Pacific. Cathay just won Best Business Class in the Airline Ratings.com awards – how does the cabin differ to the previous offering? It is a brand new concept. The thing we are very…
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Hong Kong Express may have been around for a while now, but it is finally pushing itself away from Hong Kong Airlines who until just recently shared an almost identical livery. As Hong Kong Express pushes itself forward as a true LCC, it was time to shake off its previous image and embrace something new.…
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Our friends at Hawaiian have just released a video time-lapse of the painting of their very first ATR. Whilst we announced this a while ago, secretly we’ve been waiting for the chance to see this livery for real. The new aircraft are absolutely stunning and are yet another winning livery for the pacific –…
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At thedesignair.net we are great fans of Cathay Pacific’s product. The seamless experience is effortless and well considered. From their onboard product to their lounges, attention to detail seems paramount, and it’s this design ethos that has put them at the top of the Lounges 2013. We take a closer look at their lounges, and…
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So the votes are in. American Airlines employees have voted, and the figures have been totted up. The new American tail stays. According to airchive, there were 60,418 voters, which accounts for 60% of their staff. Interestingly, 31,355 people voted in favour of the tail. We can save you the math. That’s 52%. Not exactly…
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It’s no secret that we weren’t fans of American’s new livery when it came out, and although we loved the new 777 premium cabins, we thought the livery was missing the mark, being overtly American, one thing that Internationally has always been a nationalistic stereotype picked up on by the rest of the global community.…
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Co-written by Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com Hybrid low-cost carrier Skymark – Japan’s third largest airline – turned heads in early 2011 when it announced an order for six A380 superjumbo’s which will feature only 394 seats in a premium two-class configuration: 114 angled lie-flat Business seatss on the upper deck and 280 ‘shell-style’ Premium Economy seats on the lower deck. Skymark…
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Sister Airline to the award winning Cathay Pacific; Dragonair, the regional / medium-haul carrier has just announced its cabin offerings to lift the airline’s level of luxury. The most recent announcement is the launch of their First Class offering. If the seat looks familiar, that is because it is identical to Cathay Pacific’s new long-haul…
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A question I am constantly asked by Captains since I became a pilot was “Why the move from a creative industry to one that is so technical?” I always smile when I’m asked that question. I tell my flight deck companion to open their eyes and look outside. “You think there is no creativity, look…
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Royal Brunei, when we reported on their new livery and look a while ago, didn’t inspire us too much, their artists impressions made the aircraft look flat and badly proportioned. Now we like to think they saw our comments and made a few tweaks, but realistically, we know that the aircraft reality and artists impressions can…
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Our good friends at Fiji Airways, winner of the best livery 2013 in our Top 10 Liveries have now extended their brand to the domestic and regional carrier Pacific Sun. Pacific Sun, since the new re-branding of Fiji’s International airline, has been at odds with the earthy colours and sophisticated cabins, although obviously the friendly and…
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Flight: CX237 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: HKG-LHR Date: 1st December 2013 http://www.cathaypacific.co.uk Best for: Passengers wanting no-fuss elegant luxury, space and dining flying to and from Hong Kong. Most likely to sit next to: A mix of couples, suited business men and mainly passengers that keep themselves to themselves. Business or pleasure: Whilst there is no Wi-Fi on board, the…
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This year there have been many new lounges appearing around the world. Each offering a unique level of luxury and identity that has meant a broad and interesting collection of spaces in a variety of spaces. Excellent spaces that didn’t make the list, but should still be commended, include Virgin America’s ‘The Loft‘ in LAX,…
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Air Canada, who have created one of the densest seating 777‘s going, which apart from their new business class cabin (which is great), packed passengers in their economy cabin, has now released impressions of their 787. Whilst the economy cabin offers 3 x 3 x 3 seating (which although tight is similar to almost all…
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Emirates, one of the most luxurious airlines in the world has launched the world’s longest A380 route. Shortly after the end of the longest flight in the world (The Singapore Airlines A340-500 Singapore to Newark flight) Emirates has brought a little joy launching not the longest in the world (That is still owned by Qantas’…
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Flight: CX254 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Premium Economy Route: LHR-HKG Date: 30th November 2013 http://www.cathaypacific.co.uk Best for: Savvy frequent travellers who are happy with a great reclining chair but don’t want to spend their money on business class. Most likely to sit next to: On our flight, I was next to business travellers, one of which was a Boeing Engineer, and most…
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Wellington Airport, In New Zealand, which is the Middle Earth airport, has just had an unexpected visitor fly in. Two Great Eagles swooped into Wellington Airport’s main terminal building today with Gandalf atop one of two Great Eagles, bringing news to the Middle of Middle-earth. Weighing in at one tonne each with a wingspan of 15 metres, they have…
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With the premiere of the latest in the Hobbit franchise being one of the most talked about tickets this month, it is no surprise that one airline has gone a little Hobbit crazy. Perhaps the World’s biggest fan of Tolkein’s works, Air New Zealand has celebrated the new film with another of their special Lord…
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British Airways, whose travel spas are run by well known brand Elemis, are undergoing a refurb and will have a new look, just in time for Christmas. The refurbished Terminal 5 spa will now offer state-of-the-art massage chairs, which will offer additional massage therapy, whilst the real therapists can focus on the passengers hands, feet…
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We love a bit of online viral marketing, and three airlines this week have really taken the internet by storm. If you have been living under a stone for the last few days, here’s a catch up for you to take your dinner party conversation to a whole new level. The three airlines in question…
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When we announced the launch of the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class product on the A330 we mentioned how much we loved the new bar designed by VW+BS, and recently they created a cool time-lapse video showing the design process over the period of 3 years. It’s a fascinating video, showing a natural evolution of the…
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Thanks to our antipodean friends at Australian Business Traveller, we have a few images to share from their news on the unveiling of Qantas’ latest Boeing-737 Aboriginal Painted Jet. The ‘Mendoowoorrji’ artwork is from the late Paddy Bedford, a famous West Australian Aboriginal artist, and specifically from his 2005 painting ‘Medicine Pocket’ and is different…
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We were very excited to receive a press release this morning from Air New Zealand, it showed in full glory the new 787-9 interiors, and their first routes. Initially flying on the Auckland – Perth route, as more aircraft join the fleet it will then start flying Auckland – Tokyo, Auckland – Shanghai, and also…
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We do love a well designed terminal here at thedesignair.net. Whatsmore, one that manages to successfully combine passenger needs and beautiful design. So when we saw these renderings for the new Changi airport that were revealed today, we were thrilled! The airport has announced on the day of its groundbreaking that “with the construction of…
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One of our favourite carriers, Hawaiian Airlines has recently announced that in June 2014, their A330 fleet will offer a new level of comfort in their economy cabin. Titled ‘Extra Comfort Economy’, Hawaiian, In their first comprehensive redesign of its long-haul seating configuration, will be offering a new class of seats that offer more legroom and other amenities…
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We are slightly taken aback by Transaero’s latest announcement regarding the cabin offerings on their six new 737-800 aircraft. Transaero, a Russian carrier, that was fairly unheard of until a few years ago, was recently awarded by SkyTrax “Most Improved Airline In the World” and by the looks of things, quite rightly so. In what…
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This week marked the arrival of Air Serbia’s first A319 to Belgrade Airport. 49% owned by Etihad, the original national airline JAT was re-branded to become the new ‘Air Serbia’, introducing a brand new livery, planes uniforms and total visual identity. As we reported on EX-YU Aviation back in January, the airline (and it’s competitors) have…
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With our return to our monthly Top 10’s, this month we celebrate the launch of several new First Class cabins around the world. Have they made our Top 10 though? Interestingly, as our judges went through the offerings, it became apparent that ‘International First Class’ cabins have changed over the past few years, turning from…
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