Air New Zealand provides clarity on safety precautions for staff

Air New Zealand opens refurbished Auckland Domestic Lounge

Air New Zealand opened its refreshed domestic lounge at Auckland Airport on Wednesday featuring seating for 375 passengers.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Liz Fraser says it’s fantastic to open the refreshed Auckland Domestic Lounge.

“We have redone the bar and barista station to provide more space for customers to enjoy a coffee or drink while taking in views of the runway. We’ve also refreshed the café zone and added more showers for those wanting to freshen up before they fly.

”We now have two Air New Zealand lounges available at Auckland Airport for our customers – our refreshed domestic lounge located through security for those flying on our main trunk routes, as well as our regional lounge located by the regional gates at the far end of the domestic terminal for customers catching a flight on one of our smaller turboprop aircraft.

“Both lounges have the same food and beverage offering and plenty of space to relax or get some work done before flying. We look forward to welcoming customers to both our lounges in Auckland with more and more New Zealanders beginning to fly again.”

The planned refurbishment of the Air New Zealand Domestic Lounge in Auckland commenced in January and paused during Alert Level 4 before work was restarted. The airline’s regional lounge which opened at the end of last year has seating for up to 265 customers.

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Air New Zealand Carepoints donations total nearly 250,000 Airpoints Dollars

Air New Zealand’s Airpoints members have donated nearly 250,000 Airpoints Dollars to charity through the airline’s Carepoints programme.

The programme enabled the airline and its Airpoints members to give New Zealanders a helping hand by donating their Airpoints Dollars to any or all of three charity partners: KidsCan, Women’s Refuge and New Zealand Red Cross.

Air New Zealand General Manager Loyalty Kate O’Brien says Airpoints members have generously donated more than 89,000 Airpoints Dollars to KidsCan, more than 59,000 to New Zealand Red Cross and 100,000 to Women’s Refuge.

Air New Zealand assists with repatriation services to and from Fiji

Air New Zealand has begun services to and from Nadi Fiji to assist the Fijian government in repatriating Fijian citizens.

Flight NZ952 took off from Auckland just after 11.00 on Friday morning with Fijian passport holders on board, bound for Nadi, Fiji arriving in Fiji just after 2.00pm local time. A return service is also expected to repatriate New Zealanders who have been in Fiji since Covid-19 travel bans were implemented.

The repatriation flights to Fiji are being carried out in accordance with the Travel Advice issued by the Government of Fiji. On arrival in Fiji, all passengers are required to enter a government-designated quarantine facility for 14 days and will then be required to complete a further 14 days home isolation.

Air New Zealand launches Carepoints programme for Kiwis in need

Air New Zealand has today launched Carepoints™, a new way for the airline and its Airpoints™ members to give New Zealanders a helping hand in tough times.

Air New Zealand Carepoints enables Airpoints members to gift Airpoints Dollars™ to any or all of three charity partners: KidsCan, Women’s Refuge and New Zealand Red Cross. The programme will enable up to 150,000 Airpoints Dollars to be gifted across the three charities. Airpoints Dollars will be used to purchase essential resources like food, personal care, heating and petrol for struggling Kiwis from Airpoints partners New World, Mitre 10 and Z Energy.

Air New Zealand General Manager Loyalty Kate O’Brien says the idea for Carepoints came directly from Airpoints members.

“Our Airpoints members told us they’d like to donate their Airpoints Dollars to struggling Kiwis, so we’re pleased to be able to provide the platform for people to do this. We’re thrilled to be able to support these charities and a special thanks goes to our Airpoints partners New World, Mitre 10 and Z for being involved. The Airpoints Dollars donated will be used to purchase gift cards from these partners.

Air New Zealand details safety in the sky

Photo Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand has revealed the ways it is planning to keep customers and employees safe with more flights taking to the skies when the country enters Alert Level 2.

The airline plans to operate around 20% of its usual domestic capacity (compared to pre-COVID-19 levels) during Alert Level 2, with flights to the majority of its domestic airports.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Nikki Goodman says the airline is looking forward to welcoming more people onboard again and has been looking at all stages of the customer journey to reassure those travelling in the coming weeks that they can do so safely.

“We’ll be encouraging customers to check-in for their flight via the Air New Zealand app, but for those checking in at our larger airports, every second self-service kiosk will be operating to support social distancing. There will also be floor markers for queuing at our check-in counters, service desks, bag drops and departure gates, and we’ll be boarding and disembarking fewer customers at a time.

A subdued birthday for Air New Zealand

Despite recent turbulence experienced by the aviation industry, in its video 80 years of Air New Zealand, the airline takes a moment to reflect on some of the special memories it’s shared with customers both at home and abroad over the past eight decades.

Since its first TEAL flight to Sydney, a nine-hour journey using a Short S30 flying boat on 30 April 1940, Air New Zealand has connected Kiwis and their products with the world. The airline has also played a key role representing New Zealand on the world stage with its world class service delivery, operational excellence, passion for innovation with its safety videos and products like the SkyCouch, and commitment to sustainability.

Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says the 80th anniversary birthday is a time to reflect on milestones and thank New Zealanders for their continued support of the airline, which has been named best in the world on numerous occasions.

Air New Zealand will not resume operation of its suspended Auckland-Buenos Aires and Los Angeles-London routes

Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300 departing for India.                                             Photo Air New Zealand 

Air New Zealand has confirmed this week that it will not be restarting some of the routes that it suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Among them is the London - Los Angeles route, the carrier had previously announced it would be axing the service in October of this year, so it isn't a surprise the ANZ isn't going to restart that operation and has brought forward the closure of the London crew base.

Another route the airline will halt permanently is the service between the home base of Auckland and Buenos Aires in Argentina. 

Air New Zealand has also decided to postpone the start of a non-stop Auckland-New York service that had been due to start from 29 October 2020. According to the airline, it will now plan to start the route sometime during the autumn of  2021 at the earliest.

Nick Judd, Air New Zealand's Chief Networks, Strategy and Alliances Officer said demand for international travel was at about five percent of pre-COVID-19 levels into June. "It's deeply disappointing to be in this position. Our people have worked tenaciously over the years to build these markets and excitement was growing for our non-stop New York flight.

"However, the effects of COVID-19 continue to bite; we expect most countries to take a cautious approach to international travel in the next year and we have to be pragmatic. Government travel restrictions will continue for some time and demand for our Los Angeles-London service is unlikely to recover before our planned exit in October. Argentina has been challenging before the pandemic and we don't expect this market to recover quickly."

Air New Zealand inflight quiz now on Instagram

Air New Zealand’s popular domestic inflight quiz is now available for trivia buffs to test their knowledge via the airline’s Instagram page.

Those keen for some lockdown amusement can head to Stories on the Air New Zealand Instagram page to test themselves on a selection of questions from the quiz usually screened on the airline’s domestic jet services.

Air New Zealand General Manager Global Brand and Content Marketing Jodi Williams says the inflight quiz has been a popular entertainment choice for customers for more than a decade.

“We launched the inflight quiz onboard our domestic jet services in 2009, and its popularity eventually led to us rolling it out to our international inflight entertainment system and the Air NZ mobile app as well.

”Due to COVID-19, our reduced schedule means our customers are missing out on our famous quiz, and we’ve had people asking whether we could put it online. We’re happy to share that from today, you can now play along via our Instagram page.

“It’s a great way to keep the whole family entertained while the country remains at Alert Level 4.”

A new version of the Air New Zealand quiz will be made available on Instagram every Friday. To play, visit: https://www.instagram.com/stories/airnz/.

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Air New Zealand offers staff specialist support

Air New Zealand’s Special Assistance Team has been deployed to support the airline’s employees during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Air New Zealand Special Assistance Team (SAT) is made up of several hundred volunteers from throughout the airline and plays a vital part of Air New Zealand’s response to an emergency event. The team was most recently deployed to offer assistance following the White Island tragedy in December.

The airline is also supporting its staff through its dedicated Wellbeing Hub. The Wellbeing Hub provides information on financial support, managing anxiety, tips for self-isolation, working remotely, and protection from COVID-19. Staff are also able to access the airline’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which is an independent, professional support service that is available to all employees and their immediate family 24/7.

More reductions to Air New Zealand's schedule

Air New Zealand is continuing to make capacity adjustments to selected services through to the end of June as a result of the continuing impact of coronavirus COVID-19 on customer demand and travel restrictions in many countries.

Service between Auckland and the following destinations are suspended:

Denpasar, Taipei, Narita (Tokyo), and Seoul until 30 June 2020.

Shanghai are suspended until 01 May 2020.

Hong Kong - some flights are cancelled - see here for more details of the latest cancellations. 

Singapore - some flights are cancelled - see here for more details of the latest cancellation. 

Australia -  a number of flights to various destinations have been cancelled - see here for more details of the latest cancellations. 

Air New Zealand update on Tasman route capacity

Air New Zealand is significantly reducing capacity on its Tasman routes as a result of the impact of Covid-19 on travel demand.

These changes follow the announcement on capacity reductions and will take effect from 30 March through to 30 June 2020. These dates may change if demand reduces further. Overall, Tasman capacity will reduce by 80 percent over this period.

The following outlines the capacity changes on Tasman routes:

Air New Zealand capacity reductions

The airline placed itself into a trading halt today to allow it time to more fully assess the operational and financial impacts of global travel restrictions.

On its long haul network Air New Zealand will be reducing its capacity by 85 percent over the coming months and will operate a minimal schedule to allow Kiwis to return home and to keep trade corridors with Asia and North America open. Full details of this schedule will be advised in the coming days.

Among the long haul network capacity reductions, the airline can advise it is suspending flights between Auckland and Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Buenos Aires, Vancouver, Tokyo Narita, Honolulu, Denpasar and Taipei from 30 March to 30 June. It is also suspending its London-Los Angeles service from 20 March (ex LAX) and 21 March (ex LHR) through to 30 June.

Air New Zealand’s latest safety video proves to be a head turner.........

Air New Zealand’s latest safety video A Journey to Safety has become the airline’s most viewed safety video ever, having been watched more than 27 million times since its release

The video, created in partnership with the Department of Conservation (DOC), highlights the impact of New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis through the story of a young girl named Janey and a lost CGI takahē known as Mr T.

As well as winning fans down under, the video has captured the attention of millions around the world, including North and South America, China, Singapore, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Skynests........Air New Zealand set to try out sleeping bunks in economy - maybe

Air New Zealand hopes its latest idea will revolutionise economy travel in a few years time  - it is looking at introducing cabin within a cabin for bunk beds to be called The Economy Skynest.    The firm says this latest concept is the result of three years of research and development, with the input of more than 200 customers at its Hangar 22 innovation centre in Auckland. The airline has today filed patent and trademark applications for the Economy Skynest which provides six full length lie-flat sleep pods. 

The idea of beds on aircraft is not new, lie-flat bed have been a feature of the premium cabins of many international airlines for years. Other airlines and aircraft manufacturers have flirted with the idea of having sleeping quarters or bunk areas either on the main deck or in cargo hold areas below the main deck.  Pretty much like crew rest areas that already exist on many long-haul aircraft -  but for fare-paying passengers.  Qantas considered such things for its ultra long haul project sunrise flights but decided against such slumber stations. 

Air New Zealand announces capacity adjustments on Shanghai and Hong Kong routes

Air New Zealand advises that it will be reducing capacity on its Shanghai route throughout April, and Hong Kong route throughout April and May as a result of the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on customer demand.

Photo Air New Zealand

Shanghai services are currently suspended until 29 March as a consequence of international travel bans affecting crew logistics and customer bookings. The resumption of these services is dependent on a change in status of international travel restrictions. The health and safety of the airline’s crew and customers is paramount and re-entry into Shanghai, in particular, will also be subject to guidance from the New Zealand Ministry of Health and Air New Zealand Medical team.

From 30 March, Shanghai services will be adjusted from seven return services per week to a return service every second day through to 30 April. Hong Kong services, currently operated by Cathay Pacific, will resume on Air New Zealand aircraft from 29 March and will be adjusted from seven return services per week to four return services per week from 21 April - 31 May.

Air New Zealand customers have a fondness for Ice cream

Air New Zealand data shows New Zealanders’ have a fondness for ice cream,  both on the ground and in the air. The airline’s customers have consumed more than 960,000 servings of ice cream on international flights departing New Zealand in the past year.

Total consumption of ice cream onboard has grown by more than 20 percent over the past decade. Air New Zealand customers were served more than 860 tonnes of ice cream on their journeys over that period - equivalent to the weight of five 777-300 aircraft.

Air New Zealand Senior Manager Customer Experience Niki Chave says this reflects the fact ice cream is a firm customer favourite all year round. “We’ve been serving ice cream on board continuously for more than two decades, and in that time we’ve offered more than 30 different flavours. Out of our largest port, Auckland, we currently serve more than 24,000 individual portions a week. It’s a treat that takes you back to childhood and makes you think of long summer evenings. It’s also a nice palette cleanser after a meal and satisfying to enjoy as you relax and watch a movie" 

Air New Zealand Chief People Officer resigns

Jodie King joined Air New Zealand in 2013 as a General Manager in the People function and was appointed to Chief People Officer in February 2016. She has played a key role in further building the airline’s iconic culture and customer focus. During her tenure, the airline has seen strong progress in its talent attraction, people development and management, leadership development and diversity and inclusion agenda.

Air New Zealand Chief People Officer Jodie King will be leaving Air New Zealand to take up a new role

with Vodafone New Zealand.

She will be greatly missed by the Executive Team by whom she is highly regarded. Jodie King will work with incoming Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran to ensure a smooth transition occurs and a strong appointment to the Chief People Officer role is made.

Jodie was appointed Chief People Officer in February 2016. Jodie King joined Air New Zealand in 2012 as an HR General Manager and member of the HR Leadership Team after 16 years of living and working in the UK. 

During her time in London Jodie worked at KPMG in leadership and management consultancy roles across a range of industries, including infrastructure, oil and gas, banking and retail. Her last role at KPMG saw her as Director of Talent Management across 9 European countries. Prior to KPMG she worked for New Zealand Treasury and NZ Dairy Co-operative. 

Jodie has a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Otago and has graduated from executive management programmes at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD Fontainebleau. Jodie has been a member of Global Women since 2017 and is an Advisory Board Member of the Auckland University School of Business.

Jodie King will leave by the end of the financial year.

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Cathay Pacific will take over Air New Zealand operations on the Hong Kong-Auckland return service for most of the next three months

Air New Zealand alliance partner Cathay Pacific will take over operations of the Hong Kong-Auckland return service for most of the next three months.

The move allows Air New Zealand capacity flexibility in its international operations as it deals with the impact of issues with the Rolls-Royce engines on its Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Cathay Pacific will introduce an additional Airbus A350-900 aircraft on the Auckland-Hong Kong route from 6 January to 19 January 2020. The 280-seat aircraft will operate daily and has Business, Premium Economy and Economy seating available for customers.

Cathay Pacific will also operate a Boeing 777-300ER on the same route from 1 February until 28 March 2020. The 294-seat aircraft also has Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins and will operate daily in February and five times a week in March.  Customers booked to travel with Air New Zealand on this route during these two periods will be automatically transferred to these services for both periods.

Air New Zealand opens new lounge in Nelson

The lounge, which will cater for around 130 customers, has almost double the seating of the previous space.

It is located on Level 1 of the new Nelson Airport terminal and has a number of different zones available to customers - including a café, buffet and light refreshments, a self-service drinks station, as well as business, lounge and quiet areas.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Nikki Goodman says the airline is delighted to open a new space for customers travelling out of Nelson.