Amenity Kits

Finnair partners with iconic Finnish designers Marimekko for inflight amenities

By Jonny Clark, TheDesignAir

28 October 2012 | Finnair‘s inflight product has always been efficient, clean and simple, perhaps seen by most as more ‘bland’ than ‘brand’. However, they have recently launched a brand new partnership with Finnish designer Marimekko to provide them with new table-wear and fabrics for their airline.

Marimekko’s simple and elegant retro prints are all about great splashes of colour and with this injection into the airline, they will bring the fun back to flying Finnair, targetting specifically their Asian routes.

Finnair earlier this month showed off their new Marimekko liveried A340, that is adorned with Maija Isola’s iconic ‘Unikko’ flower motif, currently flying Asia routes from Finland. In the spring, when the new in-flight products will be rolled out, a second Marimekko livery with join the long haul fleet.

Stated on the reveal of the new design partnership, “Finnair has a strong design heritage, and this cooperation brings our design thinking to a new level,” says Mika Vehviläinen, Finnair CEO. “Our goal is to become a design airline, and bring our customers unique experiences for all five senses. Cooperation with Marimekko is an important step towards this target. Finnair aircraft will become roving ambassadors of timeless Finnish design and creativity, giving our customers a special experience when they fly with us.”

They will eventually be selling limited edition Marimekko-Finnair products onboard, in a move recently taken by KLM with their design partnership with Hella Jongerius for their Wold Business Class cabin, also being launched next year.
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Cathay Pacific teams up with local lifestyle brand G.O.D. for new amenity kits

By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com

25 October 2012 | Cathay Pacific has unveiled its new amenity kits for Premium Economy Class passengers which feature exclusive designs by home-grown Hong Kong brand G.O.D. (which stands for Goods of Desire). Cathay says its design collaboration with G.O.D. took inspiration from the “vibrant culture of Hong Kong, where East meets West and age-old traditions blend with cutting-edge technology.”

G.O.D. is a leading Hong Kong lifestyle brand, whose self-proclaimed mission is to “define a new Asian derived lifestyle concept as an alternative to the established Western way of living.” The company designs and retails stylish, affordable home furnishings and tableware, as well as some fashion items and “signature items with a quirky Hong Kong feel.”

Local design
Cathay Pacific General Manager Product Toby Smith said: “As Hong Kong’s home carrier, Cathay Pacific supports local design and creative culture. G.O.D. is known for its fun, niche and lifestyle designs, which is a good fit for our Premium Economy Class. The plan is to have four designs per year, two outbound and two inbound. The hope is that they will become real collectibles and that passengers can look forward to receiving a new design every time they travel.”

The first two designs on board are called ‘Joy’ and ’Fortune’. The ‘Joy’ design depicts Chinese gods enjoying themselves inflight by sipping coffee, using the computer or reading, and is available on flights departing Hong Kong, while the ‘Fortune’ design features a Chinese-style image of auspicious clouds and will be distributed on inbound flights. The kits will be progressively made available in Premium Economy for long haul flights from mid-October.
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Sign of the times: Amenity kits double as iPad case

By Raymond Kollau, airlinetrends.com

12 September 2012 | To prevent frequent flyers from accumulating heaps of identical amenity bags, many airlines change their amenity kit designs on a regular basis, while other carriers work together with amenity kit suppliers to design bags that for example can be re-used as a pencil case or travel wallet.

As many passengers today carry a tablet computer (according to a recent TripAdvisor survey one in four passengers in the U.S. calls their tablet device carry-on essential, while another survey found that one-third of passengers say they use tablets while flying), several airlines have recently introduced amenity bags that can be re-used as an iPad case.

Turkish Airlines
Rapidly growing Turkish Airlines is one of the few airlines in the world to provide passengers in all classses with a personal amenity kit, both on short- and long-haul flights. The airline earlier this year renewed its contract with amenity kit supplier FORMIA to introduce a new range of amenity kits, which includes a bag for passengers in Business Class that doubles as an iPad case.

The iPad case features Turkish Airlines’ logo on the flap and is made of a leather-look material that creates a high-tech appeal, while a ribbed texture creates a protective framework to the iPad. Each amenity bag/iPad case includes a drawstring pouch and a small pencil case holding a selection of items and cosmetics by Crabtree & Evelyn.

Says Elif Ergezen, Product Manager at THY, “Turkish Airlines highly regards the added value of providing a memorable amenity kit to its passengers. A souvenir of the trip that demonstrates an understanding of customers’ behavior.”
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Etihad adds Swarovski amenity kit and onboard chef to its First Class experience

9 June 2011 | While European airlines such as British Airways (new First), KLM (Delft Blue, Dutch Design) and Austrian (new amenity kit) are looking at their heritage to differentiate their travel experience (see our recent whitepaper “How airlines can use their heritage to add some storytelling to the travel experience”), fast growing Etihad is taking a more opulent approach towards luxury.

Etihad’s First Class private suites, available on the airline’s A340-600s and A330s, have their own sliding door, a personal wardrobe, a mini bar and a 23-inch LCD screen. The leather seat and furnishings are upholstered by Poltrona Frau, which also provides interiors for Ferrari cars. Already voted as ‘Best First Class’ at the 2010 Skytrax ‘Airline of the Year’ awards, Etihad is further upping the ante by introducing new amenity kits and onboard chefs in its First Class.

Swarovski
Etihad’s new amenity kits for women include a black cosmetic purse detailed with crystals by Swarovski and products from Swiss luxury brand La Prairie, such as moisturiser, hand cream and lip balm. The male version of kit is a black leather cufflink box with amenities such as a shaving kit with a Schick Xtreme 3 razor and shaving cream. Other items include toothbrush and toothpaste, ear plugs, socks and eyeshades.

For Swarovski, who has collaborated with consumer brands such as Philips and LG before, this was the first time it teamed up with an airline. Says Lee Shave, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Product and Services: “In our market research, we found that very few airlines are developing product suited to the needs of female travellers, so we created these separate amenity product line.“
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KLM goes Dutch Design with tableware and amenity kits

25 March 2011 | Airlines such as Emirates and Singapore Airlines have teamed up with traditional French and Italian luxury brands like Bulgari, Ferragamo and Givenchy to offer passengers quality in-flight amenities, such as toiletry kits, tableware, blankets and pyjamas.

Dutch airline KLM is taking a slightly different approach as it is upgrading its onboard experience. Instead of teaming up with the classical luxury houses, the airline is emphasizing its Dutch origins by partering with contemporary Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf and Marcel Wanders for the creation of its onboard amenities. According to KLM, customers have indicated that they appreciate KLM’s typically Dutch character, so it decided to embrace Dutch Design.

Viktor & Rolf
At the start of the summer schedule on 27 March 2011, KLM has introduced Viktor & Rolf-designed comfort bags for passengers travelling in Business Class on long-haul flights. Different bags are available for men and women, and also contain a Viktor & Rolf branded toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, eye mask, lip balm, pen and ear plugs. A new design will be created each year over the next four-year period, and a new colour will appear every six months. The fashion duo’s bags proves to be popular: A few hours after KLM announced the Viktor & Rolf amenity kits, the first requests for them already started appearing on online marketplaces.

Marcel Wanders
On 27 March 2011, KLM also began serving meals in Business Class on both short- and long-haul flights offered on tableware designed by Marcel Wanders. The designer (of Moooi and Droog Design fame) has created porcelain, glassware, cutlery, linen and a tray for the airline in his signature shapely style. In designing the new service elements, Wanders has taken into account the wishes of its customers, the working procedures of cabin crew, and the weight and space restrictions of air travel (video here).
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