New Zealand has enhanced its air service agreement with China by 20 per cent Transport Minister Simon Bridges announced today.

“New Zealand and Chinese airlines can now operate 59 passenger services per week,” Mr Bridges says.

“We’ve seen strong growth with visitors from China and we expect this to continue. China is our second largest source of visitors after Australia, so it’s important that we have the appropriate agreements in place to support this.

“The amendment will also allow additional airlines to enter the market, ensuring a competitive environment that will benefit New Zealand and Chinese travellers.

“Officials also have the opportunity to further expand the agreement later this year if certain conditions are met.

“Chinese airlines can now operate between airports in New Zealand during the course of their international service, allowing airports that do not receive flights by Chinese airlines the opportunity to do so.

“We have progressively enhanced this agreement. In 2014 the agreement provided 42 offerings per week and was increased in 2016 to 49. We will continue to work towards an open skies agreement with China,” Mr Bridges says.

Five Chinese airlines currently operate to New Zealand and a sixth, Sichuan Airlines, will enter the market in June.

“New Zealand is committed to liberalising air services, allowing for competitive markets, increased air traffic, lower air fares and stronger international trade links,” Mr Bridges says.

New Zealand now has 61 air service agreements with countries and territories with a further 20 awaiting signature.

Arrivals from China in 2016 were 421,000 – an increase 12 per cent (54,000) from 2015.

|  A Beehive release  |  march 27, 2017   |||

ave you ever drifted off on a plane, woken up a little later, and found yourself wondering where exactly you are – only to check your seatback television screen and decide that you are none the wiser?

Airline route maps – particularly the electronic ones which are part of passengers’ in-flight entertainment systems – can often appear to show a world of their own creation. They pick out cities you have never heard of, towns where aircraft rarely land and destinations which you would not seek out – even if you were travelling on the ground.

But a bigger question might be – what do these maps fail to show? And why are certain places omitted?

Sometimes, destinations drop out of focus for simple reasons of logistics. Back in 2009, there was a brief and polite furore in New Zealand after three cities – Hamilton on the North Island; Dunedin and Queenstown on the South Island – were left off Air New Zealand’s route maps, even though the airline flew to all three.

A spokesman quickly blamed “space restriction”, and pointed out that two Australian cities – Cairns and Coolangatta – were also missing for the same reason.

But what of omissions with more thorny causes?

> > > Continue to the full and original article on The Telegraph Travel News |  March 9, 2017  ||

Qatar Airways has launched its revolutionary business class product – Qsuite. The patented, flexible suite can be adapted to suit the needs of different passenger types, ranging from individual travellers to families and groups.

The Qsuite features the industry’s first-ever double bed in business class. Privacy panels stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room. In addition, adjustable panels and movable TV monitors on the centre four seats allow colleagues, friends or families travelling together to transform their space into a private suite.

Speaking exclusively to Future Travel Experience, Rossen Dimitrov, Senior Vice President Customer Experience, Qatar Airways, said: “We’ve brought the elements of first class into business and that is not only in the service, but in the comfort we’re providing to our customers. We know what customers want today and we’ve looked at all the groups of travellers who travel with us in business class today.

“As you know, at Qatar Airways our premium focus has always been in business class, with the exception of the A380s (which also has a first class cabin). What is very important for us is what we’ve designed can cater to everyone, whether it’s a family, business travellers, people going on celebrations like honeymoons and so on, or whether it’s an individual who is travelling alone with us. It has been designed all around the different types of customers we know we have travelling with us in business class.”

> > > Continue to read full article and images here

ravellers flying with SWISS now have access to more than 250 digital newspapers and magazines. The digital content is available to all customers, regardless of travel class.

Available in multiple languages, the digital content can be downloaded from swiss.com/ejournals. Passengers just have to provide their booking or ticket number.

The number of downloads will vary per passenger, with premium customers able to download more free content than those travelling in economy. The passenger’s Miles & More frequent flyer status will also be taken into consideration.

SWISS’s new eJournal range will gradually replace the selection of print newspapers and magazines that are currently carried on board.

The airline said this “will produce tangible savings in the flight’s weight and, in turn, deliver further ecological benefits, including a reduction of some 450 tonnes in SWISS’ annual carbon dioxide emissions”.

|  A Future Travel Experience release  |  March 08, 2017

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon is today in Washington DC where he met with United States Secretary of Transport Elaine Chao, a member of President Trump’s Cabinet.

Mr Luxon also met senior officials in the Transport Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

The meetings were an opportunity to identify the importance of the United States as a source market for visitors to New Zealand and as a destination for New Zealand travellers. United States visitors to New Zealand are up 19.8%, with almost 300,000 visitors arriving in the year to January 2017. The success of Air New Zealand’s new Houston service, which makes travel easier for visitors from the mid-west, east and south of the United States is a key factor in this growth.

Today’s high level meetings were also an opportunity for Air New Zealand to seek improvements to its customers’ experience in US airports. Particularly, the airline is seeking a streamlined process for its passengers transiting Los Angeles (LAX) to London on NZ1.

“Air New Zealand is one of only a very few airlines that have an international transit in the United States like NZ1. We think there’s room for an improved process that would benefit customers without compromising security, and would also reflect well on LAX as a major hub airport,” says Mr Luxon.

“It was a privilege to meet Secretary Chao today and to seek her sponsorship for our efforts. We are grateful to New Zealand’s United States Ambassador Tim Groser and his embassy team in Washington DC for facilitating today’s meetings. A great example of New Zealand punching above its weight on the international stage.”

|  An Air New Zealand release  |  March 8,2017  ||

Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific have extended their strategic alliance partnership on services between New Zealand and Hong Kong for a further five years through until 2022.

The alliance has delivered a range of benefits to travellers since it was first put in place in January 2013, including greater choice with more frequencies, enhanced connectivity to each carrier’s networks and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. The extension of the alliance agreement is subject to continuing regulatory approvals.

Air New Zealand Chief Strategy, Networks and Alliances Officer Stephen Jones welcomes the extension of the alliance.

“Through our agreement with Cathay Pacific we have been able to stimulate travel between New Zealand and Hong Kong and importantly grow inbound tourism from this market with visitor numbers up by almost 130 percent since the alliance was first signed. By extending our alliance we hope to further grow these services and continue to deliver a range of benefits to the travelling public,” says Mr Jones.

Cathay Pacific Director of Corporate Development and IT Paul Loo says: “We are pleased to extend our alliance with Air New Zealand, which has allowed our two airlines to maximise synergies and better meet our customers’ needs. This includes providing them with increased travel options in addition to greater convenience.”

Cathay Pacific currently operates seasonal double daily services between Auckland and Hong Kong while Air New Zealand operates a daily service on the route. From December 2017, a new seasonal service between Hong Kong and Christchurch will also be introduced under the alliance, operated by Cathay Pacific.

Subject to regulatory approvals, the non-stop service will operate three times per week from 1 December 2017 – 28 February 2018, departing Hong Kong on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using Airbus A350 aircraft, providing a welcome boost for tourism to Canterbury and the South Island.

Tickets for Cathay Pacific’s new Hong Kong – Christchurch seasonal service will be on sale later this week at airnewzealand.co.nz or cathaypacific.com.

|  An Air New Zealand release  |  February 28, 2017  ||

Cloud-based e-booking portal to help Air New Zealand expand cargo bookings around the world

Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced Air New Zealand has joined Unisys Cargo Portal Services (CPS) to allow the airline's current and prospective freight forwarder clients to book and track shipments online.

Unisys' CPS is an online portal that enables freight forwarders to interact with multiple carriers via a single website to view availability, make bookings and track shipments as well as other electronic services such as producing IATA electronic Air Waybills (e-AWB) and interacting with customs systems. As one of the world's most popular multi-carrier air cargo online booking portals, CPS will broaden Air New Zealand Cargo's reach to the more than 6,000 forwarders and shippers from 3,750 branch offices of 2,200 companies who are active users of CPS, spanning 330 cities in 105 countries.

Air New Zealand Cargo operates more than 590 international flights per week, serving 32 cities in 18 countries around the globe, using the airline's passenger schedule. It has three dedicated international cargo terminals in New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as a North American hub in Los Angeles, with gateways in Honolulu, Houston, San Francisco and Vancouver. Goods range from high technology and time-sensitive goods to fresh produce and general cargo.

Eric Hutto, senior vice president and president, Enterprise Solutions, Unisys, said, "We understand how important freight management is. In the case of delivering fresh food, fragile pharmaceuticals or valuable items, freight forwarders need to be able to quickly view availability and book shipments with reliable airlines such as Air New Zealand. Unisys Cargo Portal Services will help Air New Zealand expand its global reach by allowing more freight forwarders to choose the airline to deliver such critical cargo and meet their customers' expectations."

Air New Zealand has used the cloud-based Unisys Logistics Management System (LMS) to manage its air cargo business since 2010.

Dheeraj Kohli, vice president and global lead of travel and transportation for Unisys, explained, "As Air New Zealand already uses Unisys LMS, we can leverage the data in the cargo operations system to bring them online quickly. And because they pay on a transaction basis, costs relate directly to value. Both of these benefits are clear examples of how cloud-based services are transforming the air cargo industry."

Unisys has more than 45 years of experience providing advanced, critical IT solutions to the aviation industry. More than 20 percent of the world's air cargo shipments are processed on Unisys solutions. Unisys cargo solutions are used by many of the world's leading carriers, who collaborate via the Unisys Cargo User Group (UCUG). Unisys and UCUG members have worked with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for more than 20 years on initiatives such as e-Freight, Cargo iQ and XML messaging.

About UnisysUnisys is a global information technology company that specializes in providing industry-focused solutions integrated with leading-edge security to clients in the government, financial services and commercial markets. Unisys offerings include security solutions, advanced data analytics, cloud and infrastructure services, application services and application and server software. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

Follow Unisys on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

|  BLUE BELL, Pa., Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --  ||

China’s latest plan to reverse coastal damage is a rest-stop for migrating birds

For a country that has received so much flak for its rate of environmental decline, China really seems to be pulling up its socks—and setting a global precedent while they are at it. The most recent development in the country’s bid for an ecologically-minded future is the Liangang Eco Park, a rest-stop for migrating birds.

Fifty million birds make the journey from the Arctic Circle down to Australia and New Zealand each year. Most intertidal areas along the way in East and South East Asia where the birds might have stopped to feed over the course of their journeys have now been encroached upon by coastal urban development; meaning fewer birds are able to survive the seasonal ordeal, and a large number of species are slowly going extinct. The Liangang Eco Park is set to reverse the damage done.

Landscape architects McGregor Coxall have designed the sanctuary over 60 hectares—over a landfill site in the Liangang area of Tianjin city—and have made provisions for three different water habitats, suited for 50 species of birds. Working in close collaboration with ornithologists Avifauna Research, the architects have made calculated decisions to include relevant site soils, feed sources and vegetation. Water—sourced from rain harvesting and the recycling of water waste—will be moved through the park’s wetlands by renewable energy mechanisms. A 20-hectare forest will surround the wetlands to protect from urban intrusion.

The idea is nothing short of brilliant: besides offering much-needed respite to migratory bird species, it gives the city of Tianjin a new set of lungs, in addition to providing residents with an outdoor recreational space. Two, it brings in tourist revenue—the park is slated to received nothing short of a half-million visitors each year. For this, the architects have designed the Water Pavilion, a high-tech education and research centre, from which visitors can watch the birds through 14 cameras hidden around the sanctuary. Additionally, there will be three observation pods, wetland trails, a cycle circuit and a forest walk.

The park is slated to open in 2018. Here’s hoping we see similar eco parks come up closer home.

! A ArchitecturalDigest release  |  February 27, 2017  ||

Millennial business travellers will expect the convenience of on-demand travel services in their work lives, the head of Uber for Business has said.

Travis Bogard, global head of Uber Enterprise, said 80% of business travellers are now millennials, who are increasingly using ride haling apps including Uber instead of buying cars because of their price and efficiency.

“What we’ve already seen with the consumerisation of IT is that expectation of personal life translates into your expectation of work and your business experience,” he said.

Speaking at the Business Travel Show in London yesterday, Bogard said technology could also improve visibility, streamline expensing and improve safety.

Ground transport often makes up half of the line items on expense reports but accounts for only 8% of spend, “a disproportionate amount of time” for a small amount of money he said. “On average its about £46 of money and 20 minutes of time to process an expense report. And one in five of those expense reports gets pushed back... Companies need to think how to streamline that process for employees, they need a more streamlined expense reporting process.”

Mobile technologies, like the services Uber provides, can allow travel bills to be paid directly by a company or can send digital receipts directly to expenses systems. “We’ve all but removed that friction and exhaustive process of submitting expenses,” he said.

Mobile apps can also help improve compliance by integrating the travel policy into the booking experience, said Bogard. “At the time of requesting it, it tells [travellers], ‘If you’re going to try and request a black [luxury] car right now, you’re going to have to put it on your personal card, you can’t put it on the business one’. You can actually bring that policy to the point of making the decision, so you’re no longer dealing with this at the back office after the money’s spent.”

As well as improving visibility on spend, Bogard claimed the live data Uber provided could improve security by providing employers with detailed information, such as where their employees are and who is driving them, as opposed to what he called “static” data, such as flight details or hotel bookings.

On the future of driverless cars, however, Bogard said the technology would “take longer than most people believe or talk about today”. “I think the reality is we’re talking a way away from that world of transition, and I think what we want to do with that time period is think about how we’re going to make a graceful transition.”

In the short term, he sees the demand for more drivers and vehicles “well outpacing beyond what self driving will actually be able to deliver”.

|  A SupplyManagement release  |  February 27, 2017  || 

Auckland Airport welcomes the announcement that Sichuan Airlines will start flying between Auckland and Chengdu in China from June this year.

The service will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday using an A330-200 aircraft with direct flights taking 13 hours.

Acting Aeronautical Commercial General Manager Scott Tasker, says Sichuan Airlines is expected to add 81,000 seats a year to and from China and deliver an estimated $102 million annual boast to the New Zealand economy.

“Sichuan Airlines will provide the first direct flight from Chengdu to New Zealand and will cater for the growing numbers of Chinese visiting our country. On average each Chinese visitor spends approximately $4,300* while here and they are increasingly travelling more widely around the country.”

“For New Zealand travellers, Sichuan Airlines offers the opportunity to fly direct to Chengdu, the thriving capital of the Sichuan Province which is home to the World renowned Giant Panda Research Base, home of the panda.”

Mr Tasker says Sichuan Airlines decision to fly to Auckland comes at a time when Auckland Airport is investing more than $1 million every working day on its core aeronautical infrastructure.

“The major upgrade of our international departure area is well underway, as is the expansion of Pier B of the international terminal which will add two more gates that can each accommodate an A380 or two smaller aircraft.

We are also progressing the design of the new domestic section of our combined domestic and international terminal, and undertaking further improvements to our roads and public transport infrastructure. This level of infrastructure investment will likely continue into the near future,” says Mr Tasker.*Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment International Visitor Survey 2016

|  An Auckland Airport release  |  February 22, 2017  ||