“This is the Final Boarding call for Flight 001 with service to Tokyo. Passengers please proceed to your gate immediately.” A store that recreates the thrill of an international airport with product that addresses every travel need with style and comfort. The Flight 001 store is a one-stop travel shop. Need a last minute suit case? Check! Inflight moisturizer? Check!

We aimed to create an elevated store experience so we hired Dario Antonioni’s innovation-driven design studio Orange 22 to help take store design to another stratosphere. Every Flight 001 store worldwide bears his design imprint. The cash wrap was inspired by a ticket counter while the curved interior resembles a 747 fuselage. We used walnut paneling to evoke the warm nostalgic atmosphere of an international first class lounge.

The store experience was modeled after set interiors from Stanley Kubrick’s film “2001 - A Space Odyssey”. It was important to create an environment that would “surprise and delight” our passengers. When we first opened our doors and had a small assortment of travel products, people would come directly to the ticket counter and ask if they could purchase plane tickets.

We also pioneered intellectual property and registered this store trade dress for its experiential design. We referred to our vintage-futuristic style as retro-modern and protected the curved design and interior.

"Travel is Love is a mantra for passengers in search of a deeper connection with their destination. It inspires wanderlust and curiosity about the world. It is a love note to foreign destinations and cultures. It reminds us to appreciate the journey as much as the destination. It is about our passion for travel."

We wanted this campaign to elicit a feeling. It was important to create a campaign with a message that went beyond just the product. We designed a catalog and used it to remind our passengers of the one feeling that unites people around the globe. Travel is Love fulfilled that mission.

With limited resources we storyboarded the shoot and hired Bon Duke an established fashion photographer to photograph our campaign. The shoot was taken at Colony Studios in Greenpoint. It was exciting to see the talent transformed into a 60s styled model with hair and makeup. It was important for the photos to have an air of that Jetset period.

This color coded adapter system was created and patented to simplify the confusing world of travel adapters. At first glance you see the color-coded multi-adapter block but the real genius lies in the interactive world map platform. The app allows users to hover over any country to instantly identify the corresponding adapter by color, making it effortless to match adapters with destinations.

Inspired by Dieter Rams’ iconic Braun designs, we created a compact, interlocking product with soft, inviting corners. To infuse a sense of personality and approachability, we named it "Jac," a nod to one of the most familiar male names and a reference to the phrase “Jack of all trades.” The forward slash in the name serves as a subtle homage to alternating current (AC), reflecting the product’s versatility and connection to modern design.

The JA/C Ready seal features a striking yellow lightning bolt, symbolizing electricity. Beneath the bolt, the red, blue, and green colors evoke international flag hues, highlighting the product's global adaptability. We aimed for a packaging design that is both simple and instructional. The bottom portion of the box lists the countries corresponding to each color-coded plug, visible only when the top portion is removed—creating an element of discovery. The packaging itself was inspired by Apple’s seamless, precision-fit design, ensuring an intuitive and satisfying unboxing experience. The box also doubled as a storage and traveling case.

Available @ MOMA and other locations worldwide

Note: The JA/C Ready color coded adapter system is available for licensing. For inquiries email us at hello@lovebrands.co (Apr 2024)

The Flight 001 brand evolved significantly over the years. Initially, our focus was on developing and promoting travel accessories. Over time, we expanded our vision to celebrate and promote world cultures as well.

For our Spring/Summer catalog, we traveled to Thailand, drawing inspiration from the country’s rich, friendly, and vibrant culture. We titled the catalog “Travelogue,” reflecting its dual purpose: not only to showcase our travel products but also to serve as a travel magazine with rich editorial content. This extensive 105-page catalog was primarily distributed to wholesale buyers, offering them a comprehensive glimpse into our collection.

The colors and patterns featured in the catalog, as well as the products for that season, were inspired by traditional Thai masks and cultural motifs. We felt it was important to introduce local content to our passengers, including recommendations on where to go, what to eat, and useful phrases in the local language.

Worldport was our retro-inspired travel agency experience in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, designed to recreate the excitement of a vintage travel agency offering transcontinental flights to the world.

We chose dark walnut floors and side paneling, complemented by soft pendant lights, to evoke the ambiance of the 1950s and 60s. The space was furnished with carefully selected mid-century pieces, including a flip-top desk by Danish designer Peter Løvig Nielsen, stamped 1968. We also curated a collection of vintage travel agency flags and retro airline posters to complete the nostalgic atmosphere. In an era when travel agencies were the gateway to global adventures, we aimed to capture that spirit and continue the tradition.

The Worldport experience was inspired by Pan Am’s Terminal 3 at JFK. The structure resembling a flying saucer with multiple ports for airline service gates created a hub for international travelers.

Similarly, our Worldport experience was primarily a hub to engage and partner with like minded travel brands such as Airbnb, Skyscanner, airlines, travel media, tourism boards and more. Change of awnings, window branding and interior collateral was the idea for travel partners to regularly create their very own custom pop-up experience to complete the seamless travel experience.

Flight 001’s website, along with all design and creative work, was meticulously handled in-house to ensure brand integrity in color, messaging, and imagery. Despite having a lean creative team, we managed every aspect of content creation—from product photography and website design to copywriting and backend management, all within our office, affectionately known as the “Control Tower.” On-model photography was the only aspect outsourced.

001 Country Per Year is a challenge to visit one new country every year. Everyone starts with the number 001, representing their country of origin. The goal is to explore the world, grow your number, and become a 001CPY Global Citizen.

The idea was born during an interview with a potential candidate whose resume listed visits to 56 countries. I was both impressed and disappointed, realizing how far behind I was. The thought of waking up 50 years later without having explored much of the world led me to make a promise: from that year forward, I would visit at least one new country every year.

The 001 Country Per Year brand was created to extend this challenge to everyone. We later offered it to our crew members (employees) as well. Each year, on April 17th (Flight 001’s launch date), the company raffled one round-the-world trip, covering all expenses, as long as the destination was a new country. Additionally, it became company policy to cover half the cost of any crew member’s plane ticket if they were traveling to a new country.

The logo was inspired by the act of spinning a globe and using your finger to point to a destination. In our design, an arrow points to a spot on the globe, which features colors representing most national flags. The “001” design was modeled after a flip counter, symbolizing the counting of countries visited. We also created collectible country pins, each branded with the “001” pointer, encouraging passengers to collect them all.

The marketing team embraced the 001 Country Per Year challenge by selecting a specific country—España, in this case—to inspire customers with Spain’s rich culture. Spain's influence extended to our product designs and color choices for that season.

There are derivative products and then there are innovative products. Derivative product builds on the inspiration of previous product, it is evolutionary at best. In contrast, innovative products break new ground, entering uncharted territory with unique, revolutionary designs.

SPACEPAK

At Flight 001, we developed numerous transformative and innovative products, with one of our first and most important being the Spacepak compression packing system. The inspiration for Spacepak emerged during a trip to Tokyo, a city renowned for its unparalleled shopping experiences and endless design inspiration. Among the many discoveries, one simple black bag became the catalyst for what would become the Spacepak system.

This simple black bag was later branded individually as Spacepak Clothes and became the cornerstone of the entire system. This double sided rectangular bag featured a zippered compartments on each side: one for clean clothes and the other for laundry, making it ideal for organizing your trip’s wardrobe.

The Spacepak System expanded to include six essential bags: Clothes, Underwear, Shoes, Lingerie, Toiletry, and Garment, each designed for specific packing needs. Spacepak revolutionizes the way you travel.

JA/C READY

This color-coded adapter system was another of our innovative products. Each adapter was designed to correspond with specific countries on a matching color-coded map, making it incredibly easy to identify the right adapter for your travels. The ingenuity of this system earned it a well-deserved utility patent.

SEATPAK

Another innovation we developed was inspired by a multi-zippered bag discovered in Japan. This bag became a bestseller in our stores, prompting us to enhance its design by adding a hanging loop. This simple addition allowed travelers to hang the bag on the hook of their seat-back tray, offering greater accessibility and convenience during flights. We branded this upgraded version as Seatpak. Later we added a larger version of this bag and called it Seatpak Pro.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There was a time when simply manufacturing a product was enough to guarantee sales. Then, design became crucial to stand out in a crowded market. Today, it’s no longer sufficient to rely on design alone—innovation is essential to rise above the overwhelming array of products available. The next frontier in product development is integrating intelligence, such as AI, to further distinguish and enhance offerings.

We approached our emails as informative newsletters rather than just product promotions. Our goal was to keep our passengers informed with up-to-date travel information, relevant digital travel tools, and carefully selected travel products. We aimed to avoid coming across as merely “pushing” products.

All creative work was handled in-house. Despite having a lean team, we successfully managed copywriting, photography, and design. Additionally, we partnered with tourism boards, providing them with travel content for their own distribution. This collaboration not only enhanced our reach but also created a valuable marketing revenue stream for Flight 001. Below is a small sample of our work.

Just as every culture has its own cuisine, each city has its own trend research specialization. Cities renowned for fashion insights include New York, Paris, London, Milan, Barcelona, and Tokyo, with secondary fashion hubs like Madrid, Rome, Los Angeles, Berlin, Copenhagen, Shanghai, São Paulo, and Antwerp. When it comes to bags and luggage, Tokyo stands out as the leader. Japanese are experts at everything portable. I found that Milan and London excel in the realm of shoes, though the rise of sneakers brings us back to key cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and London.

While the internet is a valuable tool for trend research, I’ve found that traveling to international cities offers an unparalleled environment for generating ideas and concepts. Being on the ground allows me to shop at local establishments, observe street culture, and engage with local behavior—adding a crucial dimension to the creative process.

As the premiere travel store we were committed to demonstrating our expertise not only in packing suitcases but also in packaging our product. Whether it was packaging for soft goods like bags or hard goods like adapters, packing / packaging was our forte.

For the Spacepak System, we initially used large, reusable zip-loc-style vinyl bags as packaging. These bags served as a canvas for detailed instructions, crucial for introducing a product that was entirely new to the market. However, as we became more conscious of environmental impact, we transitioned away from vinyl to more sustainable options. We replaced the large plastic bags with self-fabric zip pouches, which not only reduced waste but also doubled as multi-use travel bags. This thoughtful approach to packaging earned us the prestigious AIGA packaging design award, often regarded as the Oscars of design.

We took a similar approach with the packaging for Seatpak. The exterior packaging was thoughtfully designed to incorporate both marketing and instructions, featuring in-flight manual-style illustrations that clearly demonstrated where to hang and how to use the pack.

The JA/C Ready adapter packaging was meticulously designed with built-in color coded instructions. Each side of the box featured an illustrated line-drawing of one of the individual plugs, providing clear visual identification. Sliding the box open revealed a list of countries where each specific plug could be used, making it easy for travelers to find the right adapter for their destination.

The Air Supplies category, which included small travel essentials such as locks and neck pillows also required thoughtful packaging. To maintain consistency and visual appeal, we opted for uniform, colorfully printed mylar bags, which provided a practical and cohesive solution for these travel-specific products.

From the start, we were determined not to create typical luggage— a term that evokes a sense of burden and feels like a drag. Instead, we focused exclusively on designing innovative suitcases. Our first creation was a soft-sided case made from flight satin nylon with a retro aesthetic, which we named Avionette (last suitcase in photos). Its soft structure allowed it to become the largest check-in bag permissible, offering maximum capacity while staying within airline limits.

With our growing expertise in case design, we set out to create the ultimate retro-modern suitcase, which we named T5, inspired by Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA terminal at JFK. The design drew from the terminal's soft, sweeping curves, capturing the essence of this architectural masterpiece. We incorporated gold metal trimmings and material-covered handles, paying homage to the classic suitcases of that era. Rather than stamping the Flight 001 brand name on the cases, we opted for a more subtle approach by using three small metal plates—depicting a globe, airplane, and suitcase—to represent our brand identity.

We made a bold decision not to stamp the Flight 001 name on every suitcase, inspired by a chance encounter with an ANA flight attendant while boarding a plane in Narita, Tokyo with a newly minted Flight 001 sample. The unfinished suitcase had no name branding, only the three metal icons used in our logo. When she tapped me on the shoulder, I panicked, assuming she was going to say the bag was too large to carry on. Instead, in a thick Japanese accent, she pointed at the bag and said, "Flight one." Puzzled, I asked, "How do you know this is Flight 001?" She smiled and proudly replied, "Greenwich Avenue," then pointed to herself. Apparently she had visited our flagship store in New York on Greenwich avenue. In that moment, I was shocked to realize that these three simple icons alone conveyed to the world all the value and love associated with the Flight 001 brand. From that point forward, those icons were all we needed to communicate the essence and spirit of Flight 001.

The cornerstone of every thriving brand lies in its people, and it all begins with assembling a remarkable, on-brand team. The job listing serves as an initial step in the culture-building journey. We discovered an effective method of pre-screening all applicants by posing a single, straightforward question: 'If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?' The responses to this simple query quickly unveiled those individuals who possessed a genuine spirit of wanderlust and a deep passion for travel, evident through their choice of destinations and the depth and detail of their responses.

The onboarding process marks another significant milestone in cultivating an exceptional brand culture. Each new team member received an Inflight Manual and was required to thoroughly review the company's Brand Manual during orientation. Very early in our journey we understood the significance of recruiting talent aligned with our brand ethos. Equally essential was ensuring that the team genuinely lived the brand. To support this, we offered travel stipends to any crew member exploring new countries. Additionally, we held an annual raffle for an all-expenses-paid trip, exclusively for a crew member embarking on an adventure to a new destination.

A distinctive feature of any culture is its language, and we developed our own unique lexicon, affectionately called Terminalogy. In addition to fostering camaraderie, we encouraged and covered the expenses for 'red-eye nights,' social gatherings that brought the crew together. Given the geographical location of our crew across various time zones, we published a quarterly internal crew magazine named 'Wanderlust' to chronicle these memorable red-eye nights. 'Wanderlust' played a pivotal role in strengthening and promoting a global sense of community among our crew members, many of whom maintain these connections to this day.

Furthermore, beyond the recruitment of exceptional, on-brand crew members and their job satisfaction, it is crucial to provide appropriate incentives. Incentivization stands as one of the most important tools in building a long-lasting and successful branded company.

The busiest time for travel accessories sales is the end-of-year holiday season, followed by the summer travel season. To capitalize on this, we created the Non-Stop Travel campaign as our flagship initiative for the pre-summer travel season each year. From April through June, we released a new GIF promoting Non-Stop Travel every single day. As you can see, we had a lot of fun reminding our passengers to not stop traveling.

At that time, staycations were the kryptonite of Flight 001. It was our joy and pleasure to promote the idea to always be traveling or always be planning your next adventure (and have fun doing it).