design Archives - TravelSkills

A middle seat to love on Lufthansa

November 29, 2017

Lufthansa’s new business class design includes some extra-wide single middle seats. Calling Captain Kirk! (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa won’t start flying new Boeing 777-9s for another three years, but it just revealed some details of its new business class for those aircraft, and the cabin has some unique innovations.

For one thing, the new design gives future business class customers a choice. “Depending on their personal needs, customers can choose between seats with more desk space or a higher degree of privacy,” Lufthansa said.

Window seats also have a choice of configurations. (Image: Lufthansa)

The seats in the new design are laid out on alternate rows of 1-2-1 and 1-1-1. The single middle seats have about twice as much desk space as other seats. Some observers are referring to them as “throne seats” but we’ve called them “Captain Kirk” seats, too.

The cabin also provides what Lufthansa claims will be “the best possible sleep up above the clouds.” Seat-beds are 86.6 inches long, and “the construction of the back rest makes it possible for the shoulder to sink in when you are lying on your side,” the company said. “This keeps the spine straight and makes it possible for side sleepers to also benefit from ideally healthy and relaxing sleep.”

Lufthansa said the new seat and cabin designs were created after conducting in-depth research with more than 500 of its regular customers.

Even before the new business class seating is introduced in 2020, Lufthansa said, it will deploy new business class mattresses, duvets and pajamas starting early next year.

Rendering of a Lufthansa 777-9. (Image: Boeing)

The next-generation 777-9, which has also been referred to as the 777X, will be the largest-ever twin-engine jetliner. Lufthansa is a launch customer for the new Boeing plane.

Bloomberg News is reporting that Lufthansa has ordered 34 of the 777-9s, and that they will eventually replace its 747-400s and A340-600s – although unlike those two aircraft, the new 777-9s will not have a first class cabin. The 777-9s will reportedly have 45 to 60 business class seats, but the final seating configuration of the new planes hasn’t yet been finalized.

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Hawaiian Airlines unveils new A321s for west coast routes

April 4, 2017

Hawaiian will start taking delivery of Airbus A321neos later this year. (Image: Airbus)

Hawaiian Airlines plans to introduce next-generation, single-aisle aircraft onto its routes to the western U.S., perhaps as soon as late this year, and has just unveiled the interior design of the new planes.

The carrier has ordered 18 new A321neo aircraft from Airbus, and will take delivery from the fourth quarter of this year through 2020.

First class cabin on Hawaiian’s A321neo. (Image: Hawaiian)

“The A321neos will complement Hawaiian’s fleet of long-haul, twin-aisle aircraft used for flying between Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland and 11 international destinations, and its narrow-body Boeing 717 fleet flying short, interisland routes,” Hawaiian said. Specific routes have not yet been announced.

Hawaiian’s A321neos will be configured with 16 seats in first class, 45 in Extra Comfort and 128 in regular economy. Premium cabin seats will be leather recliners, and the Extra Comfort section will provide five more inches of legroom than regular economy.

Seatbacks have tablet holders for streaming entertainment. (Image: Hawaiian)

Seats in every section will come with USB outlets, and those in the two front cabins will also have an AC power outlet. Overhead bins will pivot to provide extra storage space. The interiors will also feature an LED mood lighting system.

A new feature for Hawaiian passengers on the A321neos will be wireless streaming in-flight entertainment. Customers can download an app onto personal electronic devices that will give them access to free movies, TV shows and other content. Regrettably, these planes will not offer inflight wifi.

Extra Comfort seats have five extra inches of legroom. (Image: Hawaiian)

The economy section on Hawaiian’s A321neo. (Image: Hawaiian)

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United reveals new first class seats, aromatherapy [PHOTOS]

September 10, 2015

United is rolling out a new first class seat for its A319, A320 and some 757 aircraft (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

This week United revealed its newest domestic first class seat and other enhancements (such as a new aromatherapy scent) at a special event at its Chicago headquarters and TravelSkills was there.

Here’s what we learned:

>New first class seats designed by PriestmanGoode will roll out starting next week. The first aircraft to get them will be an Airbus A319. The rollout will continue through the end of 2016 by which time all A319s and A320s along with some Boeing 757s will have them. United said that its Airbus aircraft currently without in-seat power plugs would be the first to get the new seats.

>United said that the size of the first class cabins and the number of first class seats on each plane will not change.

Most unusual feature of the new seat: granite-topped cocktail tables (photo: Chris McGinnis)

>The most noticeable feature of the new seat is a granite-topped cocktail ledge on the center console. Designers said that the marble is more like a wafer than a block to keep weight down, but is mounted on a sturdy honeycomb-type material for durability.

A new bin for laptops, which regrettably cannot be used during take off or landing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

A new under arm rest bin for laptops, which regrettably cannot be used during take off or landing (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>Another welcome feature is the addition of a lot of new storage space. There are special nooks for laptops and water bottles under arm rests and two seat back “literature pockets” for stowing your stuff.

A new tray table with a nifty notch for your tablet (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>United has added a patented new tray table that includes a slot for tablets– just pop your tablet into the slot, which holds it upright and allows you to eat from the tray table and watch a movie on your tablet simultaneously. (Increasingly important as United moves away from seatback screens and focuses on its “bring your own device” inflight entertainment system.)

>Every seat has a universal power outlet, but no USB.

Dark blue leather and white stitching along with a Levi’s-like United brand tag (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

>The dark blue leather seats are trimmed in “bespoke” white stitching with cushions that are just over 21 inches wide– United says they are two inches wider than the current version. The seats have “articulated recline” which means when you push back, the seat cushion moves forward a bit. (Articulated reclining seat get mixed reviews– just ask anyone who flew Cathay Pacific before they got rid of them.) Seat pitch varies from 31 to 37 inches (depending on aircraft type and seat position)– the same as the current version.

>United also is working to redesign its gate areas, and has three prototypes of the new design at Chicago-O’Hare gates B4, B8 and B10. The most unusual addition to the gates? Aromatherapy! In a move that mimics Delta (once again) United said that it will start infusing jetways, United Clubs and inflight hot towels with a new herbal, spa-like scent called “Landing.” (I liked it.) You may already notice the new scent in O’Hare jetways, and by the end of the year it will be swirling around all United Clubs.

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Mercedes & Lufthansa team up on dreamy VIP plane

May 22, 2015

Mercedes wants to reinvent the private jet cabin. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

Aircraft cabins tend to be pretty boring, design-wise — basically, windows and seats in a row, whether it’s a commercial airliner or a private jet. But creative stylists at Mercedes-Benz have teamed up with a Lufthansa subsidiary to create a new kind of interior design for the “VIP cabin.”

The designs are for short- and medium-haul aircraft, and they’re clearly talking about private jets; no airline could afford to fly large planes with the wide-open passenger spaces envisioned here.

You won’t find many hard edges or sharp corners here. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

Mercedes says its new style will replace “the traditional separation of ceiling, wall and floor” with a “dynamic, spiral layout,” resulting in “new, independent spatial zones without the typical arrangement of seat and wall elements.”

Who needs windows? (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

Cabin windows are concealed by black panels that “appear to float in front of the window like a light corona,” inspired by the screen design in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Those panels can also incorporate displays and touch-screens for information and entertainment.

No worries about seat pitch in this design. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

No worries about seat pitch or width in this design. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

And Mercedes-Benz being what it is, the designers also wanted to bring in “the aesthetic appeal of state-of-the-art luxury.”

What’s a luxury jet without an aquarium? (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

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Virgin America debuts new Banana Republic uniforms

July 12, 2012

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Two Bay Area companies well known for their distinctive style, Virgin America and Banana Republic, have teamed up to create a new line of uniforms for Virgin America’s 2,000+ front-line employees. The new look is dubbed “utility chic.”

Starting on August 8, the new line will make its debut on ~~runways~~ airplane aisles and airport concourses as Virgin’s flight attendants, pilots and airport employees don their new attire.

The project began with what sounds like a “Project Runway” challenge among Banana Republic design teams in New York City. Each team submitted their early designs to a panel of Virgin employees, and the winning design won the chance to create the full collection. Virgin says that the entire process took 18 months, multiple fittings, focus groups (and likely many cross-country SFO-JFK trips) to design. There’s a variety of styles for Virgin America’s pilots, in-flight and guest service employees.

Project Runway’s snappy Tim Gunn (Photo: A+E Networks)

For men, the nine styles include leather jackets, lined mac coats, striped sleeve sweaters, woven shirts and pants. For women, thirteen styles include a classic pencil skirt, slim dress, trousers, leather jacket and trench to start, paired with luxe silk print scarves, slim plaque belts and Virgin America-branded serving aprons for in-flight meal service. All looks include classic aviation touches, such as shoulder tabs and button chest pockets.

Take a spin through the slideshow above and let us know what you think! I for one will miss the pilot’s current all-black (and oh so S-F) uniform– from the looks of the photos provided by Virgin, it will change to a smoky brown. I was also hoping that flight attendant pumps would be red– just like those worn by Virgin Atlantic flight attendants. A spokesperson told TravelSkills that red pumps (and even boots!) are on the drawing board for next year. I do like the leather jackets!

So come on, channel your inner Tim Gunn, click through the slideshow and tell us what you think about the new styles! Comments below please!

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