Star Alliance Opens Latest Branded Lounge In Paris, CDG

Star Alliance has officially completed the refurbishment of its seventh branded lounge, first opened 11 years ago at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport. At 980 square metres the lounge offers seating for just over 220 guests and takes influence from Parisian design and architecture. Muted greys, parquet flooring and stylish seating creates another residential approach, reflecting the…

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United Rolls Out New Amenity Kits

United Airlines‘ customers now have an opportunity to experience the ever-popular Sunday Riley products thanks to the upcoming roll-out of new amenity kits featuring what is frequently described as a ‘cult’ beauty brand. This new collection, In some stylish leather cases (in premium classes) will begin its roll-out later this month on board and the range…

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New Star Alliance Lounge Opens In Amsterdam

Star Alliance customers travelling from Amsterdam Schiphol can look forward to a new lounge experience, competing with the new KLM Crown Lounge that is still in development. The new Star Alliance Lounge will welcome eligible First and Business Class passengers and Star Alliance Gold Card holders as well as eligible paid lounge members of the…

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2019, The Game Of Thrones

While most people will be getting excited about the final instalment of the globally successful HBO franchise, 2019 will also see a range of new business class seats across the globe that will see the business class experience becoming more and more competitive with regards to the hard product on offer. With seat designers and…

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Air Canada Opens New Lounge In LaGuardia

Air Canada passengers travelling from New York’s LaGuardia rejoice. The new lounge is now officially open. Opened at the start of December, this new space signals the opening of the new Eastern concourse at Terminal B. The new lounge, conveniently located after security near Air Canada’s gates features popular amenities, including refreshments and a business centre,…

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ANA Plans On Upgrades for Domestic Lounges

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is moving forward with a plan to “raise the bar on customer service” even higher. ANA is well known for an internationally-high standard excellence in hospitality, so there is no surprise that the airline wants to upgrade its domestic lounges at Itami, Fukuoka and Naha Airports, which will be redesigned in…

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Star Alliance Shows Us A Connection Service We Really Want, But Its Reality Is Still A Blessing

Star Alliance has just launched a humorous but welcome new marketing video that showcases the alliances’ determination to respond to one of the largest stresses for frequent fliers – missed connections. Now while we wish that Star Alliance’s Connection Service was actually as dramatic, fun or fast as this, things might be a little slower,…

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The Great Rome Revival. Star Alliance Latest Lounge To Open In Rome’s Fiumicino Airport

Rome has recently seen a wave of new and renovated lounges, including British Airways new lounge, Alitalia’s renovated lounge and now situated on the upper level of Boarding Zone D in Terminal 3, Star Alliance’s superbly designed space for their premium passengers . Designed by the Barcelona based team, Up to You Studio, the new Star Alliance…

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United Rolls Out The Carpet For New IAH Houston International Polaris Lounge

Friday 29th June will see the launch of United’s latest Polaris lounge, joining Chicago, San Francisco and Newark’s recent openings. Passengers travelling in the airline’s Polaris business class, available on the carrier’s international routes will have access to this premium lounge. As with all the Polaris lounges, there will be a focus on locally sourced menus…

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Trip Report: Turkish Airlines B777-300ER Business Class May 2018

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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ANA Reveals New Lounge In Honolulu, Specifically Designed For A380

ANA have revealed the next stage of their unique A380 Flying Honu service between Japan and Honolulu. Honolulu’s Ewa concourse is going to see a brand new lounge featuring an ornate carved wooden tree ceiling, specifically for ANA with direct lounge access to the aircraft for their Business and First Class passengers. As well as…

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The Loft By Brussels Airlines Expands Further To Increase Space And Innovation For Guests

Yesterday saw the opening of Brussels Airlines’ The Loft extension in Brussels International Airport. Brussels Airlines expanded the lounge to cater for it’s 1,500 daily passengers who use the existing facilities, providing an increased amount of space for up to 500 passengers at any time. The airline has taken a true ‘product placement’ approach to the…

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Austrian Re-opens First Senator Lounge, One Of Five New-Look Lounges In Vienna

Austrian Airlines has announced the grand reveal of their Senator Lounge, one of the carrier’s five lounges in Vienna International airport. While two business class lounges have already received a refresh, the remaining business class lounge and Senator lounge will be complete by the end of the Spring. While fairly basic in appearance, the minimalist…

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Lufthansa Creates New Lounge Concept, Starting With Milan Malpensa Lounge

Lufthansa have just opened their latest lounge, this one in Milan Malpensa. Serving their 7+ flights per day to Frankfurt and Munich, the lounge is certainly large enough at 550 square metres and featuring 117 seats. The new design concept certainly embraces a ‘cosy atmosphere’ as it states in its press release, with warmer tones…

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Turkish Airlines Introduces Bosphorus Experience For Transiting Business Class Passengers

Turkish Airlines has introduced another program for its business class passengers, inviting transiting travellers to get to experience the very best of Istanbul. The Istanbul Bosphorus Experience is a new purchasable program, specially for its Business Class passengers who have a transfer time of seven or more hours in Istanbul. “We always strive to offer…

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TheDesignAir Exclusive Interview With Star Alliance’s Julie Murphy

Have you ever wondered what involvement the airline alliance has in the design language adopted by their airlines? With the rise the alliance-friendly terminal, such as Heathrow’s Terminal 2, we talk to Julie Murphy, Star Alliance’s Chair in the UK about design and customer experience. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, can…

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Lounging Around: Turkish Airlines Lounge, Istanbul

As part of our three part series on Turkish Airlines impressive business class offering, we finish with a review of their CIP Lounge in Istanbul. Located in the main terminal away from the hustle and bustle of the departure lounge. On arrival into Istanbul at 4am, its clear to see that it’s busy 24/7, with…

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The Suite Kinshasa Opens Hot On The Heels Of Latest Brussels Lounge

The Democratic Republic of Congo may not be on every airline’s bucket list of lounge locations, but for Brussels Airlines, Kinshasa is a valuable route, and worthy of it’s first premium lounge offering outside of Brussels. Named ‘The Suite – Kinshasa’, after its recently opened namesake in Brussels, The Suite offers an intimate but well crafted lounge…

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Avianca Launch New Miami Lounge

Avianca this week announced the latest opening of their new lounge concept in Miami International Airport. Located in Terminal J near boarding gate 12B, the lounge offers its services to LifeMiles Élite Gold and Diamond members as well as Star Alliance Gold, Priority Pass cardholders or Business Class travelers and their guest. This is the 16th lounge…

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Trip Report: Avianca A330 Business Class July 2015

Flight: AV121 Aircraft Type: A330-200 Class: ‘Previous Generation’ Business Class Route: LHR-BOG Flight time: 10:27 Seat: 1J Date: July 2015 http://www.avianca.com Best for: People travelling in pairs. The previous generation business class seats are in a 2 x 2 x 2 format. Fares are low, and offer good connections through most of South & Central America, the Caribbean and Europe. The crowd: Mainly South American…

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Trip Report: Singapore Airlines New 777-300ER Business Class May 2015

Flight: SQ319 Aircraft Type: B777-300ER Class: ‘New’ Business Class Route: LHR-SIN Flight time: 12:34 Seat: 15F Date: May 2015 http://www.singaporeair.com Best for: Solos and Couples doesn’t matter, this carrier is great for business, but also those wanting to experience luxury travel. The crowd: Mainly English or Antipodean travellers, with most connecting on to luxury beach or city breaks. An older more sophisticated set. Business or…

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Singapore Airlines Introduce New SilverKris Lounge In Heathrow’s Terminal 2

The latest carrier to embrace a residential concept for their lounge offering, Singapore Airlines has unveiled its brand new SilverKris Lounge at Heathrow, following the airline’s recent move into Heathrow’s Terminal 2. Designed by renowned architectural and interior design firm ONG&ONG, the new Heathrow SilverKris Lounge for First and Business Class customers is the third lounge to…

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Heathrow’s Terminal 2’s Slipstream Is An Artistic Achievement

  We were lucky enough to be invited to the official press unveiling of Heathrow’s brand new Terminal today, and the launch of the new ‘SlipStream‘ Artwork by Richard Wilson, which sits proudly in front of the building in a covered walkway connecting the rest of Heathrow and Terminal 2’s new car park to the…

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TheDesignAir’s Top 10 Airline Lounges 2013

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 New Zealand’s New LAX Lounge Sneak Peek

Since we announced the move of our friends Air New Zealand’s Lounge in LAX back in October last year, the first images of their (much larger) TBIT lounge have just been revealed. Taking the form of a ‘Star Alliance’ branded lounge, the new space, set to open in 2013 will offer guests departing Tom Bradley International…

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