Dec 19, 2017  -  The world’s steepest funicular line - which can climb a 110% gradient - has opened to the public at the Alpine resort of Stoos in central Switzerland.  Swiss President Doris Leuthard officially opened CHF52 million ($53 million) project running from Schywz to the mountain village of Stoosexternal link, which lies 1,300 meters above sea level, on Friday evening. The public got their first taste on Sunday. Saturday was reserved for the locals. Continue here for a look at what can be seen when in the funicular. The funicular opened two years later than planned due to…

Dec 19, 2017  - Legendary antipodean actors Bryan Brown and Sam Neill have reunited on-screen as the distinctive voices behind the latest instalment of Air New Zealand’s Better Way to Fly campaign to convince more Australians to fly the Kiwi airline across the Tasman and beyond. Bryan Brown is currently the voice behind Air New Zealand’s lovable CGI character Dave the goose who demonstrates all the reasons why the airline is a great choice for Australians flying to North and South America. Now he’s joining forces with acting mate Sam Neill as the voice of an adorable new CGI character,…

Dec 18, 2017  -  Kiwiana, heritage, steam punk and luxury have merged at one of Featherston’s most loved historic buildings, which is reopening this week writes Hayley Gastmeier in the Wairarapa Times Age. In all its glory, The Royal Hotel will be back in business from Wednesday, after an extensive two-year makeover. Owners Rob Allen and Janelle Harrington bought the prominent Revans St building when it came up for sale in 2015. The couple has put in considerable effort to ensure the hotel reflects both its own roots, and the history of the town. Inspired by the town’s rail history,…

Dec 18, 2017  - Air New Zealand will fly nearly 6000 extra seats on its seasonal service between Christchurch and Fiji in 2018, an increase of more than 40 percent.  The airline currently operates two services per week from Christchurch to Nadi International Airport between July and October, increasing to three services per week at peak times. Next year Air New Zealand’s Christchurch-Fiji service will start five weeks earlier on 26 May, with up to four services per week in the busy school holiday period. Air New Zealand Chief Revenue Officer Cam Wallace says the airline has tripled capacity between…

Dec 18, 2017  -  The Government is investing $14.9 million in tourism infrastructure and cycle trails around the country, Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced today.  $14.2 million has been awarded to various local councils for 30 visitor-related infrastructure projects and four feasibility studies. “We need to make sure we have the basics right – so that visitors continue to have high quality experiences at every point of their holiday and want to return,” Mr Davis says “Increasing tourist numbers, while good for New Zealand, is putting pressure on infrastructure in many areas around the country. The projects selected for funding…

Dec 18, 2017  - The Hub will house a dedicated Emergency Operations Centre EOC.  Queenstown Airport has opened the doors to ‘The Hub’, the airport’s first dedicated operations centre, marking a new era in the organisation’s growth. The modular-style building, named The Hub via an airport staff competition, houses a new dedicated Operations Centre, Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Operations Control room, training room, offices and houses all the Queenstown Airport Operations team in one fit for purpose office. The Hub has been designed to accommodate the airport’s continued growth and is an adaptable, sustainable and affordable building solution in line…

Dec 18, 2017  -  Air New Zealand is set to grow the number of seats available on the Wellington-Queenstown route by around 50 percent from April next year. The airline will operate an extra five A320 direct services a week between Wellington and Queenstown, the equivalent of 38,000 extra one-way seats compared with the previous year. The five new services are in addition to the airline’s existing daily direct jet service and will operate between Thursday and Monday, taking the total number of jet services per week to 12. In addition to this, a number of other Wellington-Queenstown services are…

Dec 18, 2017  -  Travellers from France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands now have the green light to use the Customs eGates (formerly known as SmartGate) from today. “We extended eGate to ePassport holders from China last month, and with a significant number of visitors coming to New Zealand from Europe, it makes sense to extend the facilities to eligible passport holders from these European countries,” says Group Manager Border Operations, Anne Marie Taggart. “Expanding eGate to more countries will help to manage the increasing number of travellers arriving and departing New Zealand. “The e-Gates allow eligible passengers to complete…

Dec 15, 2017  -  Emirates is spreading the festive joy with treats across all cabin classes this December. Customers travelling through Dubai on the airline’s four daily New Zealand services will enjoy several Christmas specials both on the ground and on board from food to entertainment. In addition to the regionally inspired cuisine served on board, Emirates has brought back its Christmas menu with a more extensive offering of holiday favourites. Emirates’ seasonal menus are a key component of its dining offering and the Christmas menu is one of the main highlights. The festive meals are available throughout December for…

Dec 15, 2017  -  Japan Airlines (JAL) and Boom Supersonic have announced a strategic partnership to help to bring back commercial supersonic travel.  JAL has made a strategic investment of $10 million in Boom and is collaborating with the company to refine the aircraft design and help define the passenger experience for supersonic travel. The Japanese airline also has the option to purchase up to 20 Boom aircraft through a pre-order arrangement. Boom is developing a new-generation supersonic aircraft, which will fly at Mach 2.2 and will significantly cut flight times. A flight between London and New York, for example,…