PriestmanGoode did a great job designing Korean Air’s new business and economy class cabins. And now we have further details and design fundamentals about the new passenger experience.
The Prestige Class Business Suite first revealed the brown (or “brown” as the author called it at the time) beauty on the Boeing 787-10 earlier this year. This hard offering is probably Collins’ Horizon, a version that seems to straddle the line between mini-suite and maxi-suite.
In fact, there are three different heights for the door socket elements of the front/rear shrouds, doors and seat surrounds. Designer PriestmanGoode lists the product’s dimensions as 51 inches, but the Korean website lists it as 52 inches, but they’re probably measuring it at a different point.
Interestingly, the new images also include an innovative and welcome improvement to the ‘Honeymoon’ center seat pair, which now features some sort of double mattress/mattress pad arrangement beyond the divider. It actually allows for a cuddle class experience, at least above the waist. However, unless the footwell partition is also retracted.
The product and its associated new brand elements have been developed since 2018 in collaboration with Priestman Good, with director Daniel McInnes calling it “a timeless product, yet firmly recognized by the Korean public.” , a new contemporary vision of Korean identity that is of interest to the airline’s global customers. base. ”
PG uses three main themes of color, pattern, and form for designers to create “richly textured, brushed, and pressed fabric patterns,” with three custom patterns designed by our in-house color, material, and finish team. It is explained that it is characterized by
The first is “inspired by the Chogakubo patchwork craft, with modern repeating motifs of geometric shapes and structured designs” applied throughout the curtains and foils, and the second within the embroidery stitches. It features a linear structure that is also inspired by Chogakubo.
The third pattern is even more impressive in its implementation, incorporating warm reds, indigo, and taupe into a nondescript, bright seat fabric for economy. The pattern was first unveiled in 2022 in a photo taken on board the airline’s A321neo in harsher lighting. There it looked less in keeping with the rest of the brand’s assets, but it was unveiled in the soft, warm lighting of the latest series of photos. It’s starting to grow against your author.
PG also mentioned, almost in passing, that this new economy and business class will flow onto the 787-9, which would be a welcome improvement in both cases.
Perhaps surprisingly, South Korea’s 787-10 does not add a premium economy cabin and remains a two-class aircraft. Economy class pitch is 32 inches, which means legroom is a little more than average, but there’s a good deal of “comfort” between this tight Dreamliner 3-3-3 carriage and the increasingly luxurious and spacious suites up front. “Canyon”, which is actually one of the more pleasant canyons. The world’s largest.
Perhaps the airline has enough plans for now with a merger with its former hometown rival, Asiana Airlines. Adding a premium economy cabin can be easily accomplished by simply pulling out a few rows of economy seats and replacing them with premium economy seats. , soft product upgrades occur near the margins. It will certainly be interesting to see if there are hidden provisions within the new aircraft that will facilitate the introduction of premium economy.
While these new and disparate brand elements (many of which are really good, such as the striking textured effect on the walls around what is presumably Door 2’s boarding area) are still part of a larger brand evolution away from traditional ones, The reason for non-embedding may also be the focus of the company. Taylor Swift might call Korean Air’s mid-2000s to mid-2020s “turquoise era.”
The design elements in both Business and Economy Class are truly outstanding, with a real rationale and a developed, textured, rich aesthetic. But it still feels like there’s some kind of branding or aesthetic missing between the two strongly designed classes we’ve seen so far.
Presumably, the Korean-Asiana merger will require a new combined airport and lounge facility in Seoul-Incheon, which will also be designed and created in parallel with broader “Welcome to the New Korean Air” type branding activities. you’ll need to.
There’s probably more work to be done here as the new Korean-Asiana airline finds a new identity. To continue the fabric art metaphor with Sexil Nubi Quilting, are there some structural Hanji codes that can help illustrate the broader pattern of the new Korean Air? The whole thing?
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All images copyright PriestmanGoode
