Riyadh Air has unveiled its opulent new cabin interiors, featured in the flagship 787 aircraft. Combining traditional Saudi elements with modern design, the airline’s offerings include Business Elite seats with unique features, advanced technology, and an immersive audio experience. This launch sets a new global benchmark for luxury in air travel.
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Malaysia Airlines has unveiled new interiors for its upcoming 737-10 MAX fleet, featuring 12 lie-flat Business Class seats, replacing traditional recliners. With 12 aircraft on order, the airline aims to compete with regional rivals and enhance traveler experience. Their goal is to rank among the world’s top airlines by 2030.
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Navigating your way around CDG can be confusing at the best of times. Different Terminal numbers, different sub-terminals denoted by letters, and even different Halls, causing a myriad of confusion when it comes to locating a lounge that suits you. Thankfully, Air France has now updated all of its lounges, with Hall K the latest…
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Thompson Aero Seating, based in Northern Ireland, specializes in premium aircraft seating, notably the Vantage seat series, known for its innovative designs and customization options. With a focus on collaboration between design and engineering teams, the company effectively anticipates market needs, leading to successful products like the new VantageNOVA, enhancing their competitive edge.
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Virgin Atlantic has finally unveiled its swanky new Clubhouse on the west coast of the USA. Its 6th Clubhouse globally, the new lounge features a new design aesthetic which has evolved beyond the original masterpiece in Heathrow. The LAX Clubhouse, located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, is a multi-sensory experience designed to soothe the…
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Korean Air has finally introduced a new brand, replacing the iconic baby blue livery that’s graced the skies since 1984. The livery and new brand comes as the airline starts its combination of Asiana into Korean Air. In an interesting, and perhaps baffling approach the airline’s planes will now sport the word “Korean”, instead of…
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LOT Polish Airlines has launched a new business lounge at Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 5, marking its first investment in North America. Designed for passenger comfort, this stylish space features modern decor, relaxation and work areas, a dining section with Polish cuisine, and advanced technology, including automatic dimming windows and fast Wi-Fi.
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TheDesignAir announced the winners of its 12th annual awards, highlighting achievements in aviation design and passenger experience for 2024. Notable winners include Oman Air for Design Innovation, Cathay as Design Airline of the Year Asia, and Etihad Airways securing the top honour globally. The competition showcased rising startups and innovative designs.
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Yes, it’s that time of the year again! We are once again launching this year’s Awards after returning last year. We’ve created our shortlist for the DesignAir Awards 2024 and just like every year, we’ve opened some of the categories to the public. It’s time for you to get involved! Now is your chance to…
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Thompson Aero Seating has officially launched its much-anticipated VantageNOVA (a seat i managed to experience at AIX earlier this year). It’s a premium herringbone seat designed for twin-aisle aircraft. As the latest addition to the successful Vantage seating family, the VantageNOVA aims to revolutionise passenger experience with an innovative blend of comfort, flexibility, and customisation,…
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The biggest challenge facing the passenger experience market is trying to standout in a levelled playing field. Every airline can now purchase suites with doors, all-aisle-access is no longer a market leading position, and the leading inflight entertainment systems all offer basically the same interface. But there’s still a fierce battle to claim the throne…
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When Qantas revealed its new interiors for the brand new A321XLR, almost all of us were expecting to see a relatively revolutionary cabin. After all, the airline had been ‘bigging-up’ the arrival of its new fleet and its upgrade to the Qantas passenger experience, however, when the new cabins were revealed, we were left a…
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There’s been a lot of hype and speculation over Emirates’ 777 interiors, and well the time has finally arrived for us to be wowed by the carrier’s evolution (not revolution) of its tired 777 product that has been long overshadowed by the A380 cabins, which became the aircraft of choice – where possible – for…
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Over the decades, airlines across the globe have approached fashion designers to add a bit of creative flair into their brand. So it’s no surprise that start-up Riyadh Air –which plans on setting the bar high – has searched for a couturier to help create the carrier’s very first uniform. And in reality it didn’t…
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Neutral Digital has established itself as a premier 3D studio specializing in CGI for the aviation sector. Over two decades, it has provided airlines with innovative visual solutions, enhancing brand experiences and customer loyalty. By leveraging CGI, airlines gain creative control over imagery, enabling engaging marketing tools that boost revenue and streamline content creation.
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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.
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All eyes might have been on DXB the past few weeks as it struggled to deal with epic rains that hit the UAE. To be fair, we don’t think any airport globally could have dealt with such extreme weather conditions, but now all eyes are turning to its sister airport, situated a little closer to…
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This year turning out to be a pretty exciting year for the passenger experience world. While airlines are recording record profits, they are investing heavily into their new aircraft, looking to try and win over market share. Here’s TheDesignAir’s round up of best business class seats you should fly in 2024. 1. Cathay Pacific 777…
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The review highlights an impressive experience with China Airlines, showcasing its distinct design, spacious cabins, and excellent service. Recognized as Design Airline of Asia 2023, it offers a robust route network and innovative features like a sky lounge. The overall journey, from check-in to food, confirms the airline’s high standards.
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Sometimes we see concepts that are so far fetched come across our desks here at TheDesignAir that we know they just simply won’t take flight, but the latest concept that has landed here has certainly piqued our interest. Brought to life by David Caon’s design studio (the very same designer who has his fingerprint all…
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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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Today saw Cathay add its new Aria suite product to its website, promoting the new product that will take to the skies later in the year. This is one of the most anticipated seat launches of the year, as Cathay vies for the most lucrative of passengers through the Asia region. While the airline revealed…
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In a bid to keep things minty fresh, JetBlue is bringing a new range of NYC brands to the skies once again. As of next week, Mint guests will be supplied a brand new amenity range ‘tucked into a stylish and reusable foldable backpack’ for Transatlantic and a snapping, collectible pouch for domestic Mint, both…
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This week saw British Airways host an event in London to present a wave of improvements to the passenger experience costing the carrier no less than £7bn over the coming years. Now usually this would be seen as a series of individual stories, but as a collective, the overarching impression is that the airline is…
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In the second of our studio spotlights, I take an afternoon to sit down with Paul Wylde, one of the industry’s leading design veterans who has worked across a range of exciting and varied projects. So Paul, firstly, can you tell us a little bit about your background? I love telling stories on behalf of…
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As we emerge into 2024 and airlines continue their post-pandemic growth with record profits seen by many, the race to invest into the passenger experience begins. While cabin programs can take several years to manifest, the quickest and easiest way to win over market share for the lucrative business class segment, is to reimagine the…
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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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Air India has continued to evolve its new brand proposition which features new cabins and liveries, with a brand new uniform for the crew, which sits in line with the new brand palette. Created by Indian celebrity couturier, Manish Malhotra, the new uniforms set out to blendrich Indian heritage, contemporary style, elegance, and comfort. We…
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Today we are pleased to announce TheDesignAir’s 11th annual award winners, as we celebrate the very best in aviation design, brand, and passenger experience around the world. Every year we see airlines across the globe continue to advance the passenger experience in the air and on the ground. There has been a new wave of…
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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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