From new luxe amenity kits to Spotify streaming in the skies, in-flight comfort is the name of the game today in air travel.
Etihad Airways has teamed up with LUXE City Guides for amenity kits inspired by Abu Dhabi, London, Madrid, Los Angeles, Sydney and Hong Kong.
The collectable limited edition kits are available for travelers in Business Class and contain natural facial products developed exclusively by London-based skincare and grooming brand Scaramouche + Fandango, including facial moisturizer enriched with vitamin E and made with anti-oxidants and essential oils to combat fatigue and the lower humidity levels in the cabin, as well as a honey and shea butter lip balm, also enriched with vitamin E. A sleep pack containing socks and eyemask, a care pack containing cotton pads and earbuds, in addition to a dental pack and earplugs round out the kit.
The kits come in six stylized designs inspired by some of the biggest cities in Etihad's network. The designs for Abu Dhabi, London and Madrid, have been specially produced for Etihad Airways, while the Los Angeles, Sydney and Hong Kong kits feature bespoke LUXE artwork. Each kit contains a customized Etihad Airways LUXE City Guide which corresponds to the showcased city, covering everything from hotels and restaurants, to spas, bars, boutiques and bespoke shopping, as well as services, specialists and personal guides.
Etihad is also planning new designs for more cities at a later date.
Spotify and The New York Times to Take Flight on Virgin America
In the U.S., Virgin America has announced a new partnership with Spotify and The New York Times to beef up its in-flight entertainment.
As part of the agreement Virgin America will become the first U.S. airline to offer all Spotify users streaming access to its entire music catalogue of over 30 million songs from 35,000 feet. In addition, Spotify has helped Virgin America curate over 60 city-inspired music "Mood Lists" aimed at getting guests excited about their destination. Guests may also sign up to receive a free 30-day New York Times All Digital Access subscription, good for use both in the air and on the ground.
With the New York Times collaboration, Virgin America guests will get complimentary in-flight access to Times content, including breaking news, from Business, Travel, Technology and 'Most Viewed,' on any connected device onboard ViaSat WiFi-equipped aircraft flying on mainland flights. (Virgin America's ViaSat InFlight Internet will become available on Hawaii services in mid-2016.)