Six Senses Yao Noi offers a remarkable experience with its stunning infinity pool overlooking Phang Nga Bay, evoking cinematic nostalgia. The rustic yet private Ocean Pool Villa enhances relaxation, blending luxury with nature. The resort embodies tranquility and space, allowing guests to disconnect and savor life’s simplicity amidst untouched landscapes, far from crowded Phuket.
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The aviation industry is increasingly adopting a generic concept of luxury, which leads to a loss of distinct airline identities. Airlines are urged to celebrate their unique characteristics and cultural roots rather than conforming to a uniform standard. Genuine luxury should evoke recognition and authenticity, creating memorable passenger experiences.
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Saudia Airlines, often overlooked, is evolving amid regional competition. With a focus on modernity and traditional hospitality, its First Class experience stands out for service excellence, including onboard chefs and trained butlers. While the hard product awaits updates, the airline positions itself as a serious contender against major Middle Eastern carriers.
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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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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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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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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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Flight: TK67 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class Route: DPS-IST Date: September 2019 http://www.turkishairlines.com It’s not a secret that Turkish Airlines has one of the best soft products in the sky. From our previous reports, we’ve always been impressed with the food & drink, amenities and IFE system onboard their aircraft, but the B777 and A330 hard products in business…
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Flight: WY102 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: First Class Route: LHR-MCT Date: March 2019 http://www.omanair.com Oman Air has long been on our radar to offer a trip report. Its careful positioning as a boutique carrier based in the Middle East doesn’t mean it is one of the big and bold ME3, but it is certainly pushing the envelope when it comes…
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Air Tahiti Nui’s brand new image We fell in love with Air Tahiti Nui’s new brand image by FutureBrand and Alexander Lee, which brought the island nation to life in the skies of the Pacific. Careful attention to detail, bright bold colours and stunning iconographic patterns caught our eye this year and certainly brought a…
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Flight: GF2 Aircraft Type: 787-9 Class: Business Class (Flacon Gold) Route: LHR-BAH Date: October 2018 http://www.gulfair.com Gulf Air used to be one of the leading carriers in the Gulf region, however, bold upstarts like Emirates quickly stole the crown, with heavy investment in new aircraft and a fairly courageous growth plan, leaving Gulf Air with a lacklustre, dated product that…
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Our recent experience with Turkish Airlines shows it has the fundamental ingredients for a leading passenger experience, however with just a few small tweaks, the airline could have the perfect recipe. Sat in their existing ‘Lounge Istanbul‘ we conduct an exclusive interview with Arif Ali Gezmisoglu, Turkish Airlines’ Customer Experience Manager, finding out that the…
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Flight: TK15 Aircraft Type: 777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: IST-GRU Date: May 2018 http://www.turkishairlines.com Turkish Airlines impressed TheDesignAir last year with a trip on the same route. With the impending opening of the New Istanbul Airport this year, along with new transit services such as the Bosphorus Experience the airline is continuing to evolve and improve, but we wanted to see…
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Air France has – for many years – been a bastion of design detail. From uniforms, the ever changing menu card designs, amenity kits, safety videos and now new CDG lounges featuring digital art installations, every design choice is carefully considered, which allows the carrier to exude a very French design aesthetic to the passenger…
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Flight: KA361 Aircraft Type: A330-300 Class: Business Class Route: DPS-HKG Date: November 2017 http://www.cathapacific.com We are big fans of Cathay Pacific at TheDesignAir, that’s no real secret. We love the carriers ground product, with wealth of stylish lounges and super easy to navigate home base of Hong Kong International Airport, but Cathay Dragon, the now-aligned sister carrier always seemed in…
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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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TheDesignAir was just given the opportunity to try out the new Qantas VR App, currently available on the Google Play and Apple App stores. The new app allows consumers to instantly transport themselves to Australia and explore a wide range of different environments in full virtual reality. This relatively new app for Qantas echoes the…
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From everyone at TheDesignAir, we want to wish you a very Happy New Year. As the new year rolls in, we take the time to celebrate 2016. It’s been yet another fantastic year in aviation with numerous new products rolled out and airlines once again investing heavily into brand, product and design. At the start of December, we…
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Flying Internationally with Alitalia recently to London via Rome, we had the opportunity to experience the new Casa Alitalia Lounge situated in the heart of the airport’s G gates in Rome FCO’s Satellite Terminal. Taking place of the older Sala Giotto lounge, the new space is totally reimagined featuring the new bold colours of the…
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Flight: CX250 Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: Business Class Route: LHR-HKG Flight time: 11:45 Seat: 16D Date: April 2015 http://www.cathaypacific.com Best for: Regular travellers connecting from Europe to Asia, with five flights a day, the airline offers a great variety of flight departure times with connections onto a variety of China and pan-Asian destinations. The crowd: Completely full, as always. Cathay manages to combine…
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Flight: EY11 Aircraft Type: A380 Class: First Class “Apartments” Route: AUH-LHR Flight time: 7:25 Seat: 1H Date: Februrary 2015 http://www.etihad.com Best for: Anyone who can afford it. Suitable for those who have to travel a long way and value space, service and comfort above all else. The crowd: An almost-full cabin. With ultimate privacy, it was hard to say, but mainly top level executive travellers.…
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Back in October 2014 we were able to experience Plaza Premium‘s brand new lounge in Heathrow Terminal 2. The lounge itself was virtually empty as we arrived at 5am for one of the first fights out of the terminal that morning. Situated near the transfer desks the lounge is both impressive and spacious. Costing £38…
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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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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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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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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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Starting our series of competitive routes around the world, we are breaking down the details of what each airline has to offer to help you find the perfect airline for you for your trip. To start with, we are looking at Los Angeles to London Heathrow. In this post we are looking at the business…
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Now at thedesignair we haven’t covered hotels before, but we are starting our reviews to create a small collection of hotels, as in our travels we get to stay for some of the best hotels, we think, in the world. Our first secret gem is our inclusion of Sir Richard Branson’s Kasbah Tamadot, situated in…
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Virgin America Economy Class Report Flight: VX290 Aircraft Type: A320 Class: Economy Class (Main Cabin Express) Route: LAX – CUN Date: 06th November 2012 Best for: Cheap tickets to cool destinations, with less emphasis on cheap, more on chic. Most likely to sit next to: If you were me, slightly larger Americans laden with neck pillows, that didn’t get the memo that…
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Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Report Flight: VS023 Aircraft Type: A340-600 Class: Upper Class (Premium Business Class) Route: LHR – LAX Date: 02nd November 2012 Best for: Someone at home on the red-carpet… or an extra from ‘Made in Chelsea’. Most likely to sit next to: Fashion designers, Graphic Designers, Fergie and anyone with a second home in the Hollywood hills. Business…
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