Air New Zealand amongst world's best
26 Jun 2008
Air New Zealand has been named one of the top four airlines in the world in a survey by British consumer magazine Which?
New Zealand’s national carrier tied for third place with British airline Palmair while Singapore Airlines won top prize and Indian carrier Jet Airways came in second.
Air New Zealand’s group general manager international, Ed Sims, said it was refreshing to be ranked in a survey which didn’t just take into account the size of the airlines.
Singapore Airlines carries 18 million passengers a year and Jet Airways, about 10 million. Air New Zealand transports 12 million people annually and Palmair, which has only one 34-year-old Boeing 737, carries just 70,000 passengers a year.
Consumer questions
The Which? magazine asked 30,000 consumers about experiences on airlines. They had to rate factors such as the cleanliness of the planes, the amount of legroom, the quality of the in-flight meal and the helpfulness of the cabin staff.
"Which? is regarded as a tough advocate for consumers and to be rating highly in such a transparent survey adds extra meaning for us," said Mr Sims.
Air New Zealand has recently launched a number of new initiatives which inlcude:
Concierge service
Air New Zealand recently introduced an in-flight concierge service believed to be the first in aviation history. The concierge staff offer assistance prior to boarding as well as in flight and at each destination. Their duties include escorting passengers to and from the aircraft, recommending activities to tourists, assisting customers with onward bookings, supporting people affected by a weather disruption, advising passengers on managing Airpoints and discussing in-flight wine selections.
Biofuel
Biofuel development is a priority and Air New Zealand is currently performing commercial trials in a joint venture with aircraft manufacturer Boeing and engine-maker Rolls-Royce. The airline aims to be using at least one million barrels of environmentally sustainable fuel annually by 2013 and could be running its entire domestic fleet on biofuel in the not too distant future. Air NZ plans a test flight using a blend of biofuel and kerosene in the first half of next year. The company also recently joined the newly formed Algal Biomass Organisation (ABO) along with other leading global air carriers including Continental and Virgin Atlantic Airways, and biofuel technology developer UOP LLC. The group is seeking new generations of fuel sources that have lower life cycle carbon emissions - in this case sustainable algae-based biofuels.
Algae is favoured as a source of fuel because it doesn't lead to deforestation or the taking away of land or water from the cultivation of essential food crops.
Carbon emissions
Air New Zealand’s fuel savings initiative programme is currently on track with the airline scheduled to meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes annually, two years early. Initiatives range from reducing weight on aircraft to more accurate fuel loadings so Air New Zealand planes are not flying with excess fuel weight, can optimise flight speeds and make better use of ground power at the airport gate.
The airline plans to further reduce carbon emissions by being launch customer for an aerodynamic enhancement package for its fleet of eight Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft. Consideration is also being given to fitting winglets to the Boeing 767 fleet of five aircraft so that they fly more economically.
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