Aerolíneas Argentinas has just unveiled a brand new uniform for ground and flight service personnel designed by Benito Fernández and Ricky Sarkany. But the end result has been a little bit of a disaster in our view with ill-fitting suits and colours that seem to exude holiday camp hosts, rather than international glamour. Under the…
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Etihad Airways has just given a sneak peek of its new flagship premium lounges at Abu Dhabi International Airport’s much awaited “Terminal A”. Etihad inaugurated the new terminal on October 31st with a special one off flight before introducing a full transition to the Terminal which should be complete by the 14th November. Etihad’s impressive 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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On a recent flight through Warsaw to Chicago i was able to experience LOT Polish Airlines business class product, and I have to say, apart from a slightly dated cabin, the product was near excellence. There will be a review of that on my site soon, as well as a full video trip report on…
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Now those with a good memory will notice that the announcement of Saudia’s new brand feels a little bit familiar. That’s for good reason. Saudia’s latest livery is actually a previous incarnation of the brand image from the 1980s. A time when futurism was based on a mix between brutalism and pixelated screen technology, which…
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It seems like Cathay has just opened the lid of the business class of its future 777 fleet today with a teaser video, which will replace the existing Super Diamond and Cirrus Business Class seat that is found across the long-haul widebodied fleet of today. Interestingly, there hasn’t been a lot of detail around the…
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Alaska Airlines has had a long-time relationship with the Alaskan Salmon, In fact, in 1932, the airline took its first flight between Anchorage and Bristol Bay, home of the world’s most extensive sockeye salmon run. Since then its constantly been a part of distributing salmon across the States, so celebrating this ironic Alaskan export makes…
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Etihad Airways used the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai to reveal the details behind its new 787 fleet which will supplement the existing long-haul fleet later this year. Instead of opting to continue the heavily customised Business Class seats that the airline currently operates across its 787’s and returning A380’s, Etihad opted for customised off-the-shelf…
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In the first of a series of TheDesignAir Studio Spotlights, we take a look at Viewport Studio, an award-winning multidisciplinary practice with a track record of more than 25 years of experience on projects completed internationally. Based out of London and Singapore, Viewport Studio comprises a team of architects and designers across a mix of…
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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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The update to a livery for an airline with a large fleet is a costly, and arduous undertaking. A dramatic shift in livery and brand can create inconsistency for years while a fleet is repainted, and too subtle a shift can be seen as folly. But sometimes the arrival of a new sub-fleet can bring…
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AirJapan revealed its Landor livery and brand last year, but not much was known about the brand beyond the exterior. Last week, however the airline revealed the carrier’s interior image and uniforms that will go some way in building the inflight passenger experience. AirJapan will be the new medium-haul international brand, as part of ANA,…
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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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This is the TheDesignAir’s hottest Design Airlines to try in 2023. Whether you fly regularly or are saving up for that once in a lifetime trip, here’s our recommendation for airlines, big and small, that bring a bit of style to the skies, but which have you flown and which are you wanting to try?…
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Kuwait Airways has recently announced a wave of enhancements across its passenger fleet on the A330-900neos as well as new uniforms, new routes and improvements to its lounge offering in Kuwait. While many of the improvements will only been see by a few travelling on the airline in the near future, one element will be…
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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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British Airways announced that its 787-8 Dreamliners are the latest in the line to get some much needed love in regards to their business class product. While the majority of the fleet has already been updated, there’s still a few aircraft left with the original Yin-yang suites from the 2000’s, including the 787-8’s, 787-9’s and…
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China Airlines has now released a new menu and tableware to compliment its Japan routes. The airline will partner with Toutouan, a famous restaurant in Tokyo, to launch their “natural style” Japanese cuisine for Premium Business/Business Class on all Japanese routes. Brand new Japanese tableware will also complement the cuisine. “By bringing Japan’s signature banquet…
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Yesterday saw the very first of no less than 120 retrofitted aircraft take off from Dubai to London Heathrow. As part of a US$2billion upgrade program, EK003 heralds the start of a huge investment from Emirates to bring all of their A380s back to the skies, and – eventually – featuring the latest cabin products…
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For the first time in two decades, British Airways has refreshed its uniform, and in following tradition, had selected British designer of Saville Row fame – Ozwald Boateng to shape the new look for the 30,000 front line crew who are customer facing. The collection was shaped by Boateng shadowing various crew members from engineering…
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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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A Foster + Partners and Buro Happold consortium has won the competition to design the new CPK airport between Warsaw and Łódź. “The pivotal project will act as a symbolic gateway to Poland, a 21st century transport interchange which brings together air, rail and road, while reflecting the country’s national identity and providing exceptional passenger experience,”…
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While Lufthansa had to quietly retreat from it’s questionable 5-star Skytrax rating just a few weeks ago, to a more understandable 4-star rating, it’s no surprise that the carrier is trying to pull out all the stops to re-energise interest in the carrier which has been marred recently by news of impending strikes. Yesterday Lufthansa…
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I was lucky enough to be invited onboard Air New Zealand’s inaugural JFK-AKL flight in September, the 4th longest flight in the world. I’ve done similar trips such as Emirates A380 LAX-DXB flights, but there’s something more unfoundedly daunting about crossing swathes of Ocean. No human likes to be stuck in a confined space for…
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After recently travelling on both Virgin Atlantic’s B787-9 and the A350 products to the US, I had the opportunity to experience both the brand-new and older Upper Class products in quick succession, and the differences were noticeable, but actually not in a way I had expected. Now this might seem a little controversial, but.. Out…
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Yesterday saw American Airlines announce a relatively needed and long-awaited refresh to its interiors programme. Bringing its long-haul and premium narrow-body cabins a whole new look was expected, and after United and Delta had rolled out its own signature Polaris and One products, American needed to step up to the mark. While the new cabins…
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Passenger seat rules and regulations regarding ergonomics haven’t really changed in decades. However, as a race, human’s have continued to evolve, and we’re getting larger and taller. This means economy seats and cabins once comfortable for passengers in the 1960’s are no longer viable for today’s traveller. In fact the CDC says between 1960 and…
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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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The news of a new narrow-body interior for a flag-carrier in South East Asia usually would usually find other carriers across the world become a little more nervous, as expectations of a premium passenger experience adds pressure to enhance their own offerings. We’ve seen in the past few years new flatbeds in Singapore Airlines narrowbodies,…
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