News

Major airline product news stories from 2014

31 Dec 2014 by ReggieHo

On the last day of 2014, let's look at some of the major airline product news stories covered by us:

Major year for the "big three"

SriLankan Airlines joining oneworld

The past year has been an action-packed one for airline alliances, especially Oneworld, which has welcomed Sri Lankan Airlines (see story) as well as TAM Airlines and US Airways (see story). After some initial struggle, Air India finally met all the requirements to become a member of Star Alliance (see story) and it seems to have been working very well for the airline (see story). Garuda Indonesia, one of the notable turnaround stories in aviation history, joined Skyteam (see story). Etihad, which has resisted the idea of joining one of the "big three", has formed its own pact (see story), although it has clarified that it isn't an alliance per se. The Gulf carrier also continues to expand its reach through making equity partners, with the latest being Alitalia (see story).

You can't have too many lounges

Silverkris Lounge of Singapore Airlines in Hong Kong International Airport refurbished in 2014

We eat, drink, work, sleep and even take showers in these places, so it has been exciting to see many airlines upping the ante with their airport lounges. Notable ones in the past year included Korean Air's new facility and Qantas' new first class lounge at LAX (see reports here and here), Qantas' business lounge at the Hong Kong airport (see story), Etihad's in Sydney (see story) and the new United Club Lounge in San Francisco (see story). Quite a number of existing lounges have also been refurbished, such as JAL's Sakura Lounge and first class lounge at Haneda (see stories here and here), China Airlines' facility at its hub airport of Taoyuan (see story) and Singapore Airlines' Silverkris Lounge at Hong Kong airport (see our first look coverage here). As a pilot project for its brand refresh, Cathay Pacific has also recently unveiled a new look for its lounges at Haneda (see story).

The big bird theory

Etihad A380

Inevitably, much attention will be on the A350XWB next year, as Qatar Airways has officially received its first (see story here and our first look here), but in the past year, focuses were still on the A380 and B787. Despite lingering rumours that the A380 project may soon come to an end, which the aircraft manufacturer has dismissed (see story), you will for sure be seeing the "big bird" a lot in years to come, with many airlines having launched services with the aircraft. Dallas/Fort Worth is welcoming it from Qantas (story here) and Emirates (story here), and Singapore Airlines is sending it to Auckland (see story), Beijing (see story), as well as Delhi and Mumbai (see story), to which Lufthansa will also deploy the A380 (see story). British Airways has launched new A380 routes, including Miami (story here) and Singapore, with the help of Gwyneth Paltrow (see story). Thai Airways will soon fly the superjumbo to Tokyo two times a day (see story).

Asiana has received its first A380 (story here) and revealed the cabin design (take a look here), while Korean Air has got its ninth and tenth A380s (stories here and here). Emirates, the largest A380 customer, is flying it to Frankfurt (see story) and Perth (see story), which has only just got A380 ready (see our round-up here). There were some hiccups with Qatar Airways' first A380 (see story) but it all worked out fine at the end (see story), and several destinations have been announced for it (see story). Another Gulf carrier, Etihad, celebrated its inaugural A380 flight, EY11, from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow on December 27 (see the announcement from earlier this year here). 

Dream back on track

Air New Zealand B787-9

The B787 Dreamliner didn't have a very good year in 2013, with various incidents involving its batteries overheating. But things seemed to be back on track for the aircraft in 2014. Thai Airways has unveiled cabin designs for it (see stories here and here), and so has Xiamen Airlines (see it here). It has also been deployed by two other Chinese carriers Hainan Airlines and China Southern. It has been put on more and more routes by Etihad, JAL, and BA, as well as by Air India to Singapore and Bangkok (see stories here and here).

Several airlines have also received the stretched version B787-9 (see round-up).

Other big news

Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar

After some delay, Hamad International Airport in Doha finally opened (see story, and pictured above), and Qatar Airways is now calling it home (see story). Singapore Airlines officially confirmed that it will join the premium economy ranks (see story), while Lufthansa has been happily rolling out its "fourth class" (see story) and you can see our review of it here.

What are some of the other stories you remember from 2014? Feel free to share with us!

Reggie Ho

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