Bombardier Q300

Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand Limited (, Air New Zealand) is a scheduled passenger airline based in Auckland, New Zealand, and the national flag carrier. Its focus is on Australasia and the South Pacific, with services to Europe, North America and Asia, and it is a Star Alliance member. Its main hub is Auckland Airport.

History

Air New Zealand began as TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) in 1940, operating Short Empire flying boats on trans-Tasman routes. With the introduction of the DC8-52 in 1965, TEAL became Air New Zealand. In 1978, the domestic National Airways Corporation (NAC) and its subsidiary Safe Air were merged into Air New Zealand to form a single national airline.

Brand and livery

Brand

On March 27, 2006, Air New Zealand embarked on a changeover to a new brand identity, involving a new Zambesi-designed uniform, new logo, new colour scheme and new look check-in counters and lounges.

The new uniforms feature a colour palette mirroring the greenstone, teal, schist and slate hues of New Zealand, sea and sky (a Māori motif created by Derek Lardelli) fabric woven from merino wool, and curves inspired by the koru.

A greenstone colour replaces the blue Pacific Wave colour, inspired by the colour of the pounamu, the prized gemstone found in New Zealand. The Air New Zealand Koru will be woven through all Air New Zealand's signage and products.

Livery history

The Air New Zealand Māori symbol is a koru. It is a stylised representation of a fern frond unfolding, and signifies new life, growth and renewal. The koru was used on the prows of the early Polynesian canoes that sailed the Pacific with its many islands.

The koru was first applied to the tail of Air New Zealand aircraft with the arrival of the DC-10 in 1973, and has remained ever since. The current aircraft livery was adopted in 1997. The koru also appears on the Air New Zealand house flag (see illustration) and flies at international airports such as Los Angeles Airport.

A redesigned logo was unveiled on March 21, 2006. The new logo has been introduced in all advertising, signage and stationery and on planes.

Special liveries

A special livery featuring an image of the All Blacks front row of Carl Hoeft, Anton Oliver and Kees Meeuws was used on the aircraft that took them to the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

In 2002 and 2003 Air New Zealand marked its position as "the official airline to Middle Earth" by decorating three planes with The Lord of the Rings imagery, applied as giant decals (while the film is as thin as clingfilm, the decals weighed over 60 kg). The decals featured actors from the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy against backdrops of New Zealand locations used for in the films.

Controversial topics

Outsourcing of maintenance controversy

On October 19, 2005, Air New Zealand proposed outsourcing most of its heavy maintenance on its long-haul aircraft and engines, which would result in about 600 job losses, mostly in Auckland. Air New Zealand said that there are larger maintenance providers who can provide maintenance work cheaply due to their large scale. The proposal was estimated to save $100 million over five years and came after many attempts to attract contracts to service other airlines longhaul aircraft.

Eventually, a union proposal to save some of the remaining jobs was accepted. The proposal included shift and pay changes (most of them pay-cuts) which would allow about 300 engineers in Auckland to keep their jobs. 200 were made redundant or resigned.

Ironically, the airline found itself short of engineers not long after, and has been on a worldwide recruitment campaign ever since.

Sex discrimination controversy

In November 2005, it was revealed that Air New Zealand (along with Qantas) has a policy of not seating adult male passengers next to unaccompanied children. The policy came to light following an incident in 2004 when Mark Wolsay, who was seated next to a young boy on a Qantas flight in New Zealand, was asked to change seats with a female passenger. A steward informed him that "it was the airline's policy that only women were allowed to sit next to unaccompanied children". Air New Zealand later admitted to having the same policy as Qantas, attracting widespread criticism.

Air New Zealand and Qantas code-share agreement

On April 12, 2006, Air New Zealand and Qantas announced that they had signed a code-share agreement for their trans-Tasman routes and would file for authorisation from the New Zealand Ministry of Transport and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission The airlines maintained that they were making losses on Tasman routes due to too many empty seats, and that a codeshare would return the routes to profitability. Critics, particularly Wellington International Airport and Melbourne Airport, argued that the codeshare would lead to reduced passenger choice and higher airfares, and that the airlines were exploiting an effective duopoly on the Tasman routes. On November 15, 2006 Air New Zealand announced it was withdrawing its application after a draft decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to not approve the code-sharing agreement.

The most notable flaw of the codeshare, however, was the fact that the two airlines were members of separate alliances; Air New Zealand being part of Star Alliance and Qantas part of oneworld.

Services

Long Haul

On 28 June 2004, Air New Zealand released details regarding the upgrade of their long-haul product, which was aimed to help the airline turn around the profitability of its international services. Every seat on their Boeing 747 (and ordered Boeing 777) fleet of aircraft were replaced with a more comfortable seat equipped with a personal LCD screen linked to an audio and video on demand system which allows passengers to play, pause, stop, rewind and forward media on demand, just as they can with DVDs and CDs at home. First class was removed, with an upgraded business class installed which to feature seats that convert into flat beds 6' 7.5" in length, and a new premium economy section.

The new generation seat design which provides more space was installed into Pacific Class (Economy), the main cabin. The seats have a flexible edge seat base to provide more leg support when reclined and the entertainment equipment is mounted far up below the seat to maximise space available to the passenger. In a first for Air New Zealand, every seat in the main cabin will have an 8.4" personal LCD screen linked to the system.

Pacific Premium Class (Premium Economy), is a new concept to Air New Zealand, and is the only airline offering the product into New Zealand. Premium Economy seats are in a dedicated cabin, which shares lavatories with the Business Class cabin. The class has the same mood lighting, wine selection and inseat power for electronic devices such as laptops as the Business Class cabin. On the Boeing 747 the seats are wider than Pacific Class, however on the Boeing 777 the seat width is the same as in Pacific Economy. All seats also feature more legroom. A re-launch of this product had been announced by Air New Zealand. Because of the high demand and good reviews from customers of this product from its inaugural launch several years ago, Air New Zealand have decided to incorporate more Business Premier services into the cabin. These improvements include amenity kits from Living Nature and improved dining experiences.

The new Business Premier Class (Business class), cabin introduced a seat that converts to a flat bed, and is the only truly lie-flat bed in Business Class flying to or from New Zealand. The seats are configured in a herring-bone layout, meaning that every seat has direct aisle access. The seat is a variation on the Virgin Atlantic Airways Upper Class seat, which was paid for the licence to these seats. Air Canada has ordered similar seating for an upgrade of its Business Class. Another airline that is also using this concept of Business Class is Cathay Pacific.

On 11 December 2007, Air New Zealand announced that they were going to start hiring in-flight concierge staff for long-haul international flights. The concierges will aim to ensure that all passengers receive personal attention with such services as offering travel advice to passengers (like potential activities at the destination) and helping with onward bookings. The service is planned to start in April 2008 with routes between Auckland and Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hong Kong tipped to be the first to have concierges introduced. The airline does not expect fares to rise as a result of the extra crew member, and believes that the move is an aviation first.

Flights

Boeing 747-400 aircraft fly on the daily non-stop Auckland–Los Angeles service (NZ5/6), daily Auckland-London Heathrow via Hong Kong (NZ38/39) flights and daily Auckland-London Heathrow via Los Angeles (NZ2/1) flights. They are also used on one of the daily Auckland-Brisbane services.

Boeing 777-200ER aircraft are used on the Auckland-Osaka (NZ97/98), Melbourne-Auckland-San Francisco (NZ7/8), Auckland-Tokyo (NZ90/99), Auckland-Shanghai (NZ89/88) routes. They are also used for one of the daily Auckland-Melbourne services, and for regular Auckland-Vancouver flights.

Boeing 767-300 aircraft are used predominantly to fly the majority of Air New Zealand's other routes including (but not limited to) Auckland–Perth, Auckland-Honolulu, Auckland-Rarotonga-Los Angeles, Auckland-Nukualofa-Apia-Los Angeles and Auckland-Papeete.

Future plans

Air New Zealand will undergo a cabin overhaul on its Boeing 767 and Airbus A320 aircraft, principally so that all seats have a personal entertainment system.
Delivery of four 777-300ER aircraft will take place in around 2010. Air New Zealand also has options on three more of these aircraft. These will replace the aircraft on routes currently operated by 747 aircraft..
Delivery of eight Boeing 787-9 aircraft will take place between 2011 and 2013. Air New Zealand also has a further eight options for these aircraft. The CEO has suggested possible new destinations in Africa, India, the Americas, and Asia, possible with the long range of the 787-9.
On 28 September 2007 Air New Zealand shareholders approved plans to exercise options on a further eight Boeing 787-9 aircraft and a further three Boeing 777-300ER, worth up to NZ$4.5 billion.
On 18 July 2008, Air New Zealand commenced services to Beijing Capital International Airport, in time for the 2008 Olympics.
From September 2008, Air New Zealand's services to London via Los Angeles from Auckland will operate on the 777-200ER after several decades of continuous service on the 747-400.
In early 2008 when Boeing delayed the 787 for a third time, Air New Zealand received their first set of delays for their own 787-9 aircraft, delaying the delivery of them from 2011 to 2012. Air New Zealand is seeking compensation for these delays.

Koru Club

The Koru Club is the name for Air New Zealand's network of airline lounges in New Zealand and around the world.

Subsidiaries

Air New Zealand has five wholly-owned subsidiary airlines:

Three are fully-integrated regional airlines Air Nelson, Eagle Airways and Mount Cook Airline which serve secondary destinations in New Zealand.

Air Nelson is based in Nelson, They recently acquired Bombardier Q300s and flew saab 340s before taking them out of service late 2007. Flight numbers are in the NZ8000 series.

Eagle Airways is based in Hamilton, operating Beechcraft 1900D aircraft. Flight numbers are in the NZ2000 series.

Mount Cook Airline is based in Christchurch, operating ATR 72-500 turbo-prop aircraft. Flight numbers are in the NZ5000 series.

Freedom Air was a low-cost international carrier flying between New Zealand and eastern Australia and Fiji. The airline was closed down as of March 30, 2008, transferring its operations to Air New Zealand (Zeal320).

Zeal320 was introduced to help combat increasing labour costs. Air New Zealand operates its trans-Tasman fleet of A320 aircraft under the Zeal320 brand. On 31 July 2006, flights were re-numbered to the NZ700-999 series for Trans-Tasman services, and NZ1000 series for Domestic services.

Airpoints

Airpoints is Air New Zealand's Frequent Flyer programme. Members earn Airpoints Dollars, which they can redeem at face value on any fare on every Air New Zealand ticketed and operated flight. Members are assigned a tier status, with increasing privileges ranging from Jade to Gold Elite.

Destinations

Fleet

The Air New Zealand fleet consists of the following aircraft as at 18 June 2008:

Air New Zealand Fleet
Aircraft	Total	Passengers (Business Premier/Premium Pacific*/Pacific)	Routes	Notes
Airbus A320-200	12	152 (8/0/144)	Domestic, Select Tasman (except Perth) & Pacific	Operated by: Zeal320. Currently undergoing cabin refit. 1 Aircraft currently with New Interior. 10 Aircraft are leased
ATR72-500	11	68 (0/0/68)	Domestic	Operated by: Mount Cook Airline. 8 Aircraft are leased
Beechcraft 1900D	18 (1 Order)	19 (0/0/19)	Domestic	Operated by: Eagle Airways
Boeing 737-300	17	136 (0/0/136)	Domestic & Pacific	11 Aircraft are leased
Boeing 747-400	8	379 (46/39/294)	International long haul, Tasman	4 Aircraft are leased
Boeing 767-300ER	5	234 (24/0/210)	Select Tasman and Pacific Routes	Undergoing cabin refit. 2 Aircraft with New Interior
Boeing 777-200ER	8	313 (26/18/269) 304 (26/36/242) Retrofitted	International long haul, Select Tasman & North American Routes	4 Aircraft are leased Aircraft to be retrofitted Early 2009
Boeing 777-300ER	(4 orders)	351 (39/46/269)	International long haul	Deliveries: 2010–2012
Boeing 787-9	(8 orders)		International long haul	Deliveries: 2012–2015
Bombardier Q300	21 (2 orders)	50 (0/0/50)	Domestic	Operated by: Air Nelson

^{*Premium Pacific Class is offered on routes operated by Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft only.}

Retired

Air New Zealand or its predecessors (NAC and TEAL) have operated:

De Havilland Fox Moth (NAC)
De Havilland Dragon Rapide (NAC)
De Havilland DH86 Express (NAC)
De Havilland Heron (NAC)
Short S-30 Empire flying boats: 2 (3rd ordered but diverted due to World War II) (TEAL)
Short Sunderland (NAC)
Short Sandringham flying boats: 4 (TEAL)
Short Solent flying boats: 5 (TEAL)
Douglas DC-6: 3 (TEAL)
Lockheed Electra 3 (NAC)
Lockheed L-188 Electra: 5 (TEAL)
Lockheed Lodestar: 12 (NAC)
Lockheed 14 (NAC)
Douglas DC-3: 29 (NAC)
Vickers Viscount: 5 (NAC)
Fokker F27-100 Friendship: 13 (NAC)
Fokker F27-500 Friendship: 11
Douglas DC-8-52: 7
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30: 8
Boeing 737-200: 24
BAe BAe 146: 8
Boeing 747-200: 5
Boeing 767-200: 7
Boeing 737-300: 7 (7 retired)
Saab Saab 340: 17
Boeing 767-300: 6 (6 retired)
Fairchild Metroliner
Embraer Bandeirante
ATR ATR 72-212: 8

Sponsorship

Air New Zealand is title sponsor of the Air New Zealand Cup domestic rugby club competition.

Codeshare agreements

November 29, 2007, Air New Zealand has codeshare agreements with the following airlines, aside from Star Alliance partners::

Incidents and accidents

On 4 July 1966 an Air New Zealand Douglas DC-8 on a training flight crashed on the runway shortly after taking off, killing two of the five crew (no passengers were onboard).

On 17 February 1979 an Air New Zealand Fokker Friendship crashed into Manukau Harbour while on final approach. One of the crew and one company staff member were killed.

On 28 November 1979 Air New Zealand flight 901, a scheduled sightseeing flight over Antarctica, crashed into Mount Erebus. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 disintegrated on impact killing all 237 passengers aboard as well as the 20 crewmembers. This remains New Zealand's deadliest disaster.

On 29 March 1995, NZ2337 from Hamilton to New Plymouth operated by a Kiwi West Aviation Beech Queen Air B80 Excalibur for Air New Zealand crashed 13 minutes after take-off killing all six on board. The plane stalled and spun after both engines failed due to fuel starvation.

On 8 February 2008, a woman attempted to hijack Air New Zealand Flight 2279 from Blenheim to Christchurch. Both pilots and a passenger suffered stab injuries. The aircraft landed safely and the woman was arrested.

Alternative propulsion

Biofuel

In the effort to develop an aviation biofuel, Air New Zealand and Boeing are researching the jatropha plant to see if it can provide a green alternative to conventional fuel.