Economy Class & Beyond

Airplane Art – SAS Boeing 737-600

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It's Sunday again, so it must be time for some more airplane art. This week, preparing to barrel down the runway at sunset is a SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) Boeing 737-600 at Hamburg Airport. Scandinavian Airlines operate 27 Boeing 737-600 - the smallest member of the Boeing 737 Next Generation family, and just over a third of the entire Boeing 737-600 fleet. The … [Read more...]

The 11 Across Airbus A380 seating – Is it that bad?

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Time for the late dispatch from Aircraft Interior Expo where I take a closer look at the Airbus A380 new seating. For those of you who missed the news from Tuesday, Airbus are proposing 11 across seats aboard their A380s. But it's difficult to imagine. So I went to investigate. The 11 Across seats in the A380 width space. Those aisles - notice the width or lack … [Read more...]

ANA to paint a 787…. as R2-D2 (Star Wars)

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All Nippon Airways in the past have painted their planes in different liveries (such as their Pokemon Jets). Well, the Japanese carrier are to paint a Boeing 787-9 into the colours of... R2-D2 from Star Wars. Well, R2-D2 is reliable and heroic - always saving the day in every Star Wars flim. This could be the plane you are looking for to paraphrase Ben Kenobi. ANA … [Read more...]

Does the Boeing Space bin actually work?

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Announced last year, Boeing released a new generation of storage bin - the Space Bin.  And as I maintain from last year, it isn't a rocket, but a new "deep" luggage bin that can swallow a lot of rollabards. And the PR image last year looked like it might work. 737 Space Bins at 737 Configuration Studio - Image, The Boeing Company Except I couldn't imagine it in my … [Read more...]

Philippe Starck to develop… amenity kits? Why yes!

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Airlines love the branded amenity kits - be it Rimowa cases, Tumi cases, Elemis spa creams and balms, Bulgari fragrences and such, with the brands tying up with airlines to push their products further. Well, it seems a great product designer has teamed up with a distributor of kits. Philippe Starck has been designing some interesting items for many years, from rooms, … [Read more...]

Airbus abandons comfort, and goes to squeezing passengers in…

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Editors note: Thanks to @thatjohn and @Airlineflyer for tweeting pictures of the Airbus presentation that I couldn’t make due to me going back to Birmingham to pick up my passport. This post would not had been possible without them. It seems Airbus is giving up with it its idea of wider seats in Economy Class as it proposes a three-class economy solution at Aircraft … [Read more...]

Yes, I am getting to old for these early starts (or… what important document I left in Birmingham)

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Good morning from the Chiltern Main Line where I'm heading back to Birmingham Why? It seems that the memory gods have cursed me this trip - with me forgetting my passport (although a lot of my colleagues who are going to this show have been all cursed in some way). If I had been driving, I would had turned back for home - alas, I was in a Coach which was at Milton … [Read more...]

Some days… I think I’m getting too old for these early starts…

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Good morning from work needful Digbeth Coach station, where I'm currently to board a wonderful National Express coach to London. I'm on my way to Aircraft Interiors Expo... And pondering if I should had spent to £400 to fly from Birmingham directly as opposed to going to London City Airport. That is if we're allowed to board first (at the top me of writing, … [Read more...]

What I’m looking forward to at AIX 2015

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Well, tomorrow takes me back to Germany - and somewhere were I haven't been in years - and that's Hamburg (If I'm honest, the last time I was there was when I was... 9 or 10 years old. Considering I'm nearing 40 this year, it's been a long time). Sadly - whilst I'll have little time for sightseeing as I'm going to be busy at Aircraft Interiors Expo 2015. Aircraft … [Read more...]