Signals

Airlines are redefining luxury air travel, transforming the on-board experience from tiring to invigorating and elevating wellness to new heights at 40,000 feet. As consumers tire of low-cost – and often low-comfort – commercial flights, travellers have shown an interest in premium experiences.

From luxury toiletries to better food options, optimised sleep pods to stretching and chill zones, airlines are working hard to reframe their flights as a destination for relaxation and rejuvenation. US-based United Airlines, for example, has partnered with luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue and tech wellness company Therabody to offer passengers the ‘best sleep in the sky’. Similarly, Australia’s Qantas Airways has made concerted efforts to humanise long-haul flights by decreasing the number of seats in the economy cabin and introducing a wellness zone. Passengers can leave their seats, walk around and stretch or follow guided exercises.

Wellness and beauty brands have the chance to enhance the travel experience for all passengers by offering portable in-flight wellness products, regardless of their seating location. Airlines should also consider how to expand their new-found wellness status by hosting events and experiences that complement the flights to enhance brand loyalty.

With extensive experience gained working at IHG and The Hoxton, James Huntly set out to pave his own way when he founded his strategic design agency AboundStudio in 2019. Combining his love for travel, design and hospitality, the Perth-based studio works with forward-thinking and experience-focused businesses across hospitality and residential developments.

The consultancy seeks out market disruptors and brands that understand shifting consumers’ values and demands. Huntly and his team are keen to help brands move away from the cold and corporate cookie-cutter templates traditionally employed in hospitality, instead creating brand identities and narratives that resonate well with the post-pandemic workers who are flexible travellers and explorers.

‘There is a proliferation of lifestyle brands. Almost all hotels have adopted urban lifestyle offerings,’ Huntly tells LS:N Global. This is why it is quintessential that brands find their own voice, their own authenticity. Instead of focusing on doing everything, brands should identify what consumers really want from them. ‘Having a clear set of brand pillars is important because one can build, adapt or expand from that, but you must be identified for doing two or three things really, really well.’