Dec 14, 2017  - Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have today announced changes to one of their key alliance routes driven by an improved demand outlook.  The two airlines are set to provide customers with an expanded schedule of flights on the Auckland-Brisbane route, with up to five extra flights per week delivering an additional 38,000 seats between April and October 2018. This means customers will now be able to choose from up to 34 return services per week. In addition, Virgin Australia will be re-timing its weekday Auckland-Brisbane service to provide a better evening schedule proposition for the…

Dec 12,  2017  -  Lufthansa has unveiled the concept for its new Business Class cabin, which will debut on the Boeing 777-9 (777X) in 2020.  The carrier says Business Class passengers can look forward to lie-flat beds with a length up to 220cm (86.6 inches). Its goal is to provide passengers with the “best and soundest sleep up above the clouds”, and the backrest has been designed to provide the best possible support and comfort, including when lying on your side. Over 500 Lufthansa customers have provided in-depth support during the development process. Privacy and comfort while sleeping emerged as…

Dec 12, 2017  -   Fiji InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG®), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has signed a management agreement with Quantum Hi-Tech Group Limited to develop the largest hotel in Fiji, Crowne PlazaÒFiji Wailoaloa Beach. Opening in 2020, the new 453-room Crowne Plaza Fiji Wailoaloa Beach will boast tranquil ocean views and feature direct access to the beach. The Crowne Plaza Fiji Wailoaloa Beach is located just a short ten-minute drive from Fiji’s main airport, Nadi International Airport. With its prime beachfront location, leisure travellers will be able to unwind while enjoying unparalleled sunset views from one of…

Dec 7, 2017  -  Emirates’ new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with the airline’s game changing fully enclosed private suites in First Class, as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins, has now entered service, to the delight of customers.  The new Emirates cabins were unveiled for the first time at the Dubai Airshow last month, to positive acclaim from visitors at the show who had the opportunity to view the product. It also generated international excitement as consumers around the world viewed the first images, videos, and reviews of Emirates’ latest inflight offering. Following its Dubai Airshow debut, Emirates’…

Dec 5, 2017  - Auckland Airport advises passengers travelling internationally in December 2017 and January 2018 to allow an extra 30 minutes for their journey through the terminal building. The top-ten 10 busiest days at Auckland Airport’s international terminal building during this summer peak season are expected to be: 21 December 2017 22 December 2017 23 December 2017 4 January 2018 5 January 2018 6 January 2018 (Busiest) 7 January 2018 12 January 2018 13 January 2018 | An Air New Zealand release  ||  December 5, 2017  |||        

Dec 5, 2017  -  Millennials are taking more expensive holidays because they believe saving enough money to buy a house is unrealistic, a travel expert has said. Holiday firm Contiki reported a 10% increase in the average amount of money people aged 18 to 35 are spending on trips this year compared with 2016. It found that young travellers are taking more adventurous and so-called bucket list trips, with increased year-on-year demand for destinations such as New Zealand (up 83%), South America (up 71%), Bali (up 56%) and Vietnam (up 50%). With a typical first-time home buyer in the UK…

Nov 24, 2017  -  New Zealand, which since 1999 has described itself as “100% Pure” in its famous tourism tagline, is battling a rising tide of pollution, with 16 beaches in Auckland reportedly too polluted for swimming and critics blaming intensive livestock farming for making up to 60% of the country’s rivers and lakes unswimmable. Sixteen Auckland beaches have been given the lowest grading possible, D, on the Auckland Council’s new water quality forecasting system – Safeswim: https://safeswim.org.nz/ Half of those swimming spots are in West Auckland, including popular Piha and Bethells Beach, according to Auckland’s Western Leader newspaper. The…

Nov 20, 2017  -  AirAsia is the best low-cost airline in the world and CEO Tony Fernandes wants to shift the airline’s business towards e-commerce launching a payments platform called BigPay. Fernandes also believes the first class cabin is going away within five years.  Sixteen years ago, Tony Fernandes, with a small group of intrepid entrepreneurs, took over a failing Malaysian Government-owned airline for $US0.25 and the promise to assume its $US11 million in debt. Since then, AirAsia has helped bring affordable flying to the masses in South East Asia.  In the process, the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based company has become…

20 Nov 2017  - The first Chinese travellers to officially use the Customs eGates (formerly known as SmartGate) have been welcomed at Auckland International Airport.  Customs Minister Meka Whaitiri and representatives from the Chinese government joined staff and key partners to mark the milestone. “Customs is part of a multi-agency group, working collaboratively to make eGates available to more nationalities. China is our second largest visitor market, and has contributed to the strong growth in visitor numbers in recent years. So extending the use of eGate facilities to eligible Chinese passport holders makes sense.” “The expansion of eGates to Chinese…

16 Nov 2017  - Emirates and Thales have signed a new agreement to equip the airline’s Boeing 777X fleet with the next generation broadband inflight connectivity using Inmarsat GX global network.   The partnership will give Emirates customers best in class connectivity with speeds of up to 50Mbps on its Boeing 777X aircraft due for delivery starting in 2020.  Emirates and Thales already have an existing multi-million-dollar deal to fit its Boeing 777X fleet with a next generation Thales AVANT inflight entertainment system. The new agreement is part of the Emirates’ and Thales’ plans to develop and enhance the state-of-the-art inflight…

Emirates has unveiled the first aircraft in its fleet with a new livery dedicated to Expo 2020 Dubai. The decal was installed on A6-EPK, an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, at the Emirates Engineering hangar. The unique and striking livery is based on the Expo 2020 logo inspired by an ancient gold ring excavated in Dubai and it underlines Emirates’ support for the vision of Expo 2020 Dubai. Emirates is the Official Airline Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai. Emirates operates daily A380 services from Auckland and Christchurch to Dubai and beyond and the decals will be seen in New Zealand over…