#1 Germany launches nude airline.
It's well documented that our friends in Germany have no problem with nudity. Now, a German travel agency is taking the country's love of naturism to the skies - literally.
The world's first nude airline* has already taken bookings from passengers keen to disrobe at 30,000ft.
Although fliers must be fully clothed when they board and disembark the aircraft, they're free to wander around the cabin in the buff after take off. It's not known whether the pilots and cabin crew will join passengers in the altogether.
#2 An Icelandic airline has unveiled a giant pink plane called ‘GAY’ because of course it has.
Iceland's WOW Airline is the latest entrant into the gay vehicular contest and their effort gives TfL a run for their money.
The airline, which is known for its pink-and-purple themed planes, announced today that its new Airbus A330, which will serve a route to San Francisco, had been named in honour of the gay movement.
CEO Skúli Mogensen explained the decision to Christen the plane TF-GAY, saying: "One of our pilots came to me and suggested this name and I thought it was a cool idea so we went ahead with it."
He added the name is a nod to the history of San Francisco, and fits with the company's naming system following TF-MOM, TF-DAD, TF-SIS, TF-BRO, TF-SON and TF-KID.
He told Gay Iceland: "The name fits perfectly into this concept of ours to create a modern family out of our air planes from the names we give them.
"WOW is basically MOM upside down and everybody loves their mom!
"Since day one, we've emphasised joy and friendliness in our services because we want everybody to feel welcome in the WOW family. And we think TF-GAY fits right in with our modern family concept."
#3 There’s a transatlantic airline with massaging chairs, a Michelin star menu, and tablets for all passengers.
It may only fly between New York and Paris, but La Compagnie is pretty much the only airline we want to fly with ever again.
With massaging chairs that recline into beds, Michelin star food and Samsung entertainment tablets for every single passenger, you're treated like an absolute blinking queen.
OK, so it's not exactly dirt cheap for a one-way Transatlantic flight. The standard fare is 1,200 euros, or about £1,000.
But it's still a fraction of the cost of a business flight from one of its competitors British Airways and Air France both offer the same service for more than £2,000.
#4 Air New Zealand to Offer "Cuddle Class" on Auckland-LA Flights.
If you're flying from Los Angeles to New Zealand, you could soon be traveling much more comfortably.
Air New Zealand will offer customers the chance to purchase seats that can turn into couches or beds.
According to Air New Zealand's website, these new seats, called "Skycouches," will be perfect for couples who want some extra room, or families with small children.
The Skycouch is a trio of three economy seats that together create a flexible space for whatever you want it to be -- an area to relax and stretch out in, or for the kids to use as a play area. It's like having your very own couch on the plane.
#5 Air Malta offers free massages to economy passengers
Not even first class air passengers can expect a personal masseuse to ease flying nerves and provide some distraction from the children having a tantrum in the next row.
But Air Malta travellers in economy cabins are being treated to relaxing head rubs and hand massages on flights between Gatwick and Malta completely free of charge.
Two professional therapists welcomed passengers to flights KM 116/7 to and from Gatwick last week with various beauty product samples, and later provided hand, feet and neck massages to relaxing music piped through headphones. Passengers on the two flights were also given Myoka Spas vouchers worth euro20 (£14).
#6 Virgin Atlantic launches world's first airborne gallery.
Passengers travelling on Virgin Atlantic Upper-Class flights between London and New York this February will have the opportunity to avail of a new in-flight service, with the route hosting what will be the first ever airborne commercial art gallery.
The Gallery in the Air exhibition will feature 10 of Eine's trademark typography-style works, with prices ranging from £2,500 to £15,000. Canvases will be on display in Virgin Atlantic's London Heathrow, JFK and Newark Clubhouses and, once on board, Upper Class passengers will be able to take a virtual tour of the Gallery in the Air and see ‘behind the scenes' footage of their construction, before buying the pieces in the same way as they would make a duty-free shopping purchase.
#7 United Airlines Becomes The First Airline To Offer Uber.
Sick of waiting in the taxi line at the airport? You can now Uber straight from United Airline' mobile app!
On the app's menu or in the "My Reservations" section, the app will display Uber information, including types of available vehicles, estimated wait times and prices. After selecting a ride, the app will automatically transfer them to the Uber app or the Uber website to sign up for an account to complete the transaction.
Customers who sign up for Uber via the United app and complete their first transaction will receive 1,000 MileagePlus award miles for a limited time.
In addition to accessing ground transportation options and other features, customers can use the United mobile app on both iOS and Android devices to do the following:
Book United flights, including award travel
Scan a valid passport to check in for international flights
Store mobile boarding passes for easy access at security and during boarding
Select seats and choose Economy Plus seating
Check the status of an upgrade and view inflight amenities
Access United Club information and purchase one-time passes
#8 Qantas First Airline to Offer Virtual Reality Headsets to Passengers.
Australian airline Qantas has paired up with Samsung to start offering the company's Gear VR headset to first-class passengers on long-haul flights. The airline becomes the first to offer a virtual reality entertainment experience inflight.
The virtual reality goggles will become available inside Qantas' first class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne in mid-February and on select A380 flights between Australia and Los Angeles in the first-class cabin in March.
The Gear VR, produced with Oculus, operates using a Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Samsung designed an app for Qantas that provides exclusive content to the headsets.
Qantas sees VR experiences as a way to showcase the airline's destinations and services to passengers.
Featured programming will include 360-degree views of Qantas' first-class lounge at LAX, runway-side videos of the company's massive A380 planes landing and a 3D look at Kakadu National Park, in Australia, the latter of which is being produced by Tourism Northern Territory. Qantas also is working with Jaunt to develop live-action content, including destination footage.
#9 Vietnam’s Bikini Airline Proves Unsurprisingly Profitable
VietJet Air, Vietnam's only privately owned airlines, has worked up quite a stir in the aviation industry with its young, attractive, bikini-clad flight attendants. Female VietJet employees don colorful bikinis and even put up an in-flight performance for their customers, mostly during inaugural flights to beach locations.
"Clad in vaporous string bikini tops and sarongs that flaunted the company colors of red and yellow, young, beautiful women filed down the plane's aisles for a bikini show."
"As passengers pulled out their smartphones and video cameras in order to archive their unique airline experience, the young women sashayed up and down the plane, batting their eyelashes at the passengers and handing out toys to children."
Airlines in countries like Thailand, Mexico and even the UK have used annual calendars featuring bikini-clad flight attendants to promote their business, no other has been as bold as to adopt the skimpy attire during actual flights. That makes VietJet unique.
