Emirates will provide an all-A380 service from Melbourne when it upgrades its third daily flight from the Australian city from a Boeing 777-300ER to an A380 operation.

The move will add 945 seats per week to the Australian city from 25 March 2018, representing a 10% increase in capacity. This means Emirates customers can enjoy even more seamless “A380 to A380” connections via its hub in Dubai to 18 points in the UK and Europe.

New Zealand already has an all-A380 service to Dubai and beyond, with four of the Emirates double-deckers flying daily from Auckland and another from Christchurch. One of the Auckland services flies to Dubai via Melbourne, providing a stopover option en route.

The additional weekly seats on the Melbourne-Dubai route will support more business and leisure travel between the cities and together with Qantas’ new Melbourne, via Perth, London Boeing 789 Dreamliner service beginning on 24 March 2018, offers Melbourne customers more options to London and Europe under the joint partnership.

The popular Emirates A380 has 489 seats in a three-class cabin configuration, with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy.

Passengers in all classes can enjoy over 2,500 channels of the latest films, TV shows, music, and games on Emirates’ ice Digital Widescreen, which has been named World’s Best Inflight Entertainment at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards for a record 12 years running.

|  An emirates release  ||  April 27, 2017   |||

Emirates has today introduced a range of sizzling fares for travel from New Zealand in time to enjoy the Europe summer across a range of 39 destinations.

The latest offers include flights directly into and out of favourite sea and river cruise connection points as well as rail links. And New Zealand travellers can also choose to enter Europe or the UK through one gateway and return from another point on the extensive Emirates network.

“We recognise that many travellers, especially those visiting friends and relatives, are not always in a position to make their bookings early, and these fares for travel into the peak northern summer months will be good news for a wide range of people,” said Emirates’ New Zealand regional manager, Chris Lethbridge.

“They will also very much suit the premium leisure market, which commonly books later.”

Emirates has five daily A380 double-decker services out of New Zealand to Dubai and beyond - one from Christchurch and four from Auckland, including a non-stop service to Dubai.

“The Dubai hub provides great connections onwards to Europe, with Emirates’ flights reaching most destinations only six or seven hours later.”

From Auckland, Economy Class return fares include Paris from $1,729, Rome from $1,759, Frankfurt from $1,779, London and Manchester from $1,809, Birmingham from $1,909; Dublin from $1,869. Business Class return fares start at just $6,919 to Rome, $6,949 to London, and $6,999 to Paris, among others.

From Christchurch, Economy Class return fares include Amsterdam and Bologna from $1,929; Paris and Frankfurt from $1,979; London from $2,049, and Copenhagen from $1,989, among others. Business Class return fares start at $7,409 to Amsterdam, $7,509 to Frankfurt and $7,529 to London.

All fares are inclusive of taxes. Terms and conditions and various travel dates apply. For bookings or more details visit emirates.com/nz, your local travel agent, or contact Emirates on 0508 EMIRATES (0508 364 728).

|  An Emirates release  ||  April 17, 2017   |||

Emirates has introduced another service to mitigate the inconvenience of the recent ban on electronic devices on board US-bound flights. First and Business Class passengers will now be able to borrow tablets on board Emirates’ US-bound flights from Dubai allowing them to continue working during their flight.

The new service is in response to the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directive which requires all passengers travelling on non-stop flights to the US from Dubai to check-in their laptops, tablets, and other personal electronic devices larger than a smart phone.

As part of this latest service, Emirates’ premium customers will have Microsoft Surface tablets equipped with Microsoft Office 2016 available for loan on board. Customers can download their work on to a USB which can be brought on board and plugged into the devices to continue working seamlessly.

The service is complimentary and will be available on all non-stop flights from Dubai to Emirates’ US destinations. Emirates provides connections at Dubai from its five daily A380 services from New Zealand to the US.

For customers who prefer to stow away their personal devices and simply enjoy the award winning inflight entertainment and service on board, Emirates had introduced a laptop and tablet handling service for US-bound customers. This complimentary service has been made available to passengers in all cabin classes since 25 March 2017, which was when the new TSA rules took effect.

This service allows customers to retain and utilise their personal devices until just before they board their US-bound flights. Passengers must then declare and hand over their laptops, tablets, and other banned electronic devices to security staff at the boarding gate, who will pack and tag each device to be stored in the aircraft hold and returned to the customer at their US destination.

Watch a video on how Emirates’ handling service works here.

To date, nearly 8,000 passengers have utilised Emirates’ laptop and tablet handling service on the airline’s 112 weekly non-stop flights departing Dubai International airport to cities in the USA. Emirates has received positive feedback from appreciative customers, and reports an even mix of Economy, Business and First class passengers utilising its laptop and tablet handling service.

These two new services by Emirates gives customers travelling to the US several options, such as: packing their electronic devices into their check-in baggage at their point of departure; the opportunity to use their laptops and tablet on their first leg of their journeys and during transit in Dubai, up to the moment they board their US-bound flight; and for premium customers the choice to continue working on loaned devices on board. Customers can stay connected in the air with mobile phone connectivity, in-seat telephones with SMS and email and live TV on most flights. Currently, over 85% of Emirates’ fleet of passenger aircraft is equipped with Wi-Fi on board.

The TSA directive does not apply to Emirates’ US-bound flights via Milan (EK205) and Athens (EK209). It also does not impact flights departing from the US, or Emirates’ flights to any other destination.

Emirates customers flying to the US can find out more about how the new TSA rules impact them at www.emirates.com/electronicsban.

Emirates serves 12 US airports with passenger flights - Newark (EWR), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Washington (IAD) and New York (JFK).

|  An Emirates release  |  April 06, 2017   |||

A renamed and extended Emperor’s Lounge, plus upgraded wifi are among the changes complementing Auckland Airport’s launch of its new Strata Club.

The club is a new app-based loyalty type programme designed to recognise travellers’ choices with personalised services and benefits. Strata Club benefits are offered in tiers based on a customer’s purchases over a year and are available to all international and domestic travellers, regardless of their airline and class of travel, as well as to everyone visiting Auckland Airport’s international and domestic terminals.

The Emperor Lounge, the international premium lounge owned and operated by Auckland Airport, is being renamed Strata Lounge. It is being expanded and refurbished and will open in a new location by August 2017. Strata Club Members will collect Strata Points and accrue tier spend when they book their lounge visit online and 24 hours in advance.

The first stage of wifi infrastructure and services for customers is also complete and complements the launch of the club. Improvements include offering customers a choice of time allowances and data volumes according to their needs and Strata Club tier.

Jason Delamore, Auckland Airport’s general manager – marketing and technology, says Strata Club is one of the ways the airport is investing in getting to know its customers better so they can be provided with more personalised services and benefits.

Examples of benefits include longer access to free wifi, parking upgrades and discounts, and special offers from participating retailers (such as duty free and food and beverage outlets).

|  A Travelinc release  ||  April 06, 2017   |||

Air New Zealand has today revealed a new Economy seat design at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg to be introduced on the airline’s Airbus A320/A321neo (new engine option) fleet.

The airline has worked with UK aerospace seating company Acro Aircraft Seating on the slim-line design, a key feature of which is wider seats. The window and aisle seats will be one centimetre wider than those on the airline’s current international Airbus fleet, with the middle seat three centimetres wider ensuring a better sense of personal space across the row.

The design also features a new seat cover developed in conjunction with New Zealand company Flight Interiors which customer testing has demonstrated delivers superior comfort levels for longer.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Anita Hawthorne says the design of the new seat was customer-led with the airline and Acro keen to address key areas of customer feedback and further improve the inflight experience.

“The slightly wider middle seat helps balance out the fact that window and aisle seat customers enjoy a greater sense of space. We currently have many customers who state a preference for window or aisle seats and it’s possible the new design may see the middle seat get a boost in popularity.

“We have a long history of innovating and of thinking outside the box for solutions so we were fortunate to work alongside a like-minded partner such as Acro. We believe what we’ve co-designed is not only practical from an operational perspective but importantly a more comfortable and spacious experience for our customers,” says Ms Hawthorne.

Acro Chief Executive Officer Chris Brady says the seat attracted plenty of attention at the Aircraft Interiors Expo when it was unveiled today.

“To reveal the new seat at this event, which showcases all the very latest innovations, technologies and products for cabin interiors was hugely exciting and piqued a lot of interest in the new product from other airlines and the wider industry alike,” Mr Brady says.

Air New Zealand has 13 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order to replace its current A320 fleet. The airline will receive a combination of A320neo and A321neo.

|  An Air New Zealand release  ||  April 05, 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 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.

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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/ --  ||