NEW ZEALAND [TRAVEL + TOURISM]

[SYDNEY]

Air New Zealand introduces a world first - Cuddle Class

Air New Zealand's latest cabin redesign looks set to transform the claustrophobic economy cabin from cattle class to cuddle class. The national carrier yesterday unveiled the interiors for its new Boeing 777-300 aircraft, which includes the Skycouch, the first economy seating that allows the traveller to lie flat, or a couple to curl up. Each plane will have 22 sets of Skycouch seats, which will be priced on passengers buying two economy tickets and paying half-price for a third. A cuddle class round trip for two to London is projected to cost around $6285, about $400 dearer than two economy class seats. The new economy seats come with small added comforts, such as a pillow that fits over the winged head rest, a port for your iPod, and a larger entertainment monitor. A hammock foot net at the base of the seat in front is on the way, project manager Kerry Reeves told the Herald. But the biggie is the lie-flat seating.

The arm rests between the three seats of the Skycouch fully retract and flaps come up to meet the seats in front to create a platform. Tickets for December flights between Auckland and Los Angeles go on sale in April. The new seats will be available on all Air New Zealand's long haul services from mid-2012. Former top cyclist and new mum Sarah Ulmer reckoned the new lie-flat seating was "just genius". Air New Zealand's other celebrity seat tester, All Black Mils Muliaina, who has just flown economy from Hawaii with his baby son lying on his stomach, said he liked the privacy features of the redesign and the potential for avoiding the "angry eyes" of child-free fellow passengers. Premium economy will get the Spaceseat, which will either incline inwards or angle outwards from each other, catering for couples who want to snuggle and dine at a common table or for individual passengers who'd rather not talk to their neighbour.

The seats have hard-back shells, meaning the base slides forward when you lie back so that the seat doesn't recline into the person behind. The seats in front have cubbyholes to stretch your legs into, and premium economy also comes with a small beanbag footrest called "Otto". Air New Zealand general manager international Ed Sims said he and the project team had "lived and breathed" the redesign project for three years. Air Transport World magazine senior editor Geoff Thomas said that the lie-flat seating was an innovation likely to be copied by other carriers.

[ARTIFORT]

Aaaah magnifique I will be in the New Zealand by next month. Looking very forward to it.

[Mr_kiwi_fruit]

You are doing a very good job and even I have learned a thing or two

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by ARTIFORT

Aaaah magnifique I will be in the New Zealand by next month. Looking very forward to it.

Great news, my offer still stands to show you around

Originally Posted by Mr_kiwi_fruit

You are doing a very good job and even I have learned a thing or two

Thanks my love dove

[SYDNEY]

Highest ever number of tourists in December

image hosted on flickr

by Heaven`s Gate (John)

New Zealand has recorded its highest-ever number of visitor arrivals in a month - 341,300 in December, up 19,100 (6%) from the previous high of 322,200 in December 2008. Statistics NZ said yesterday visitor arrivals had increased in 7 of the last 9 months, compared with the same months of the previous year. The main contributor to the December increase was 14,000 more visitors from Australia, continuing large increases seen since April 2009. There were also more visitors from the US (up 2800) & Singapore (up 1200), but fewer from China (down 2300). The total for the year was 2.458 million, just below 2008. The number arriving from Australia rose by 11% (106,500) for the year, but this was offset by large decreases in visitors from the UK, Korea, Japan, the US & China. New Zealand's annual net migration balance was a gain of 21,253 for calendar 2009, up from 3814 in 2008 and the highest figure since 22,000 in the June 2004 year. The net inflow for December was 1371, up from 139 in December 2008.

[gabo79]

WOW AWESOME NEW ZELAND

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by gabo79

WOW AWESOME NEW ZELAND

Thanks mate

[SYDNEY]

[AUCKLAND] Thread

[CHRISTCHURCH + AKAROA] Thread

[QUEENSTOWN] Thread

[WELLINGTON] Thread

[TAURANGA | MOUNT MAUNGANUI] Thread

[vicarious1]

How many times do I come back to your pics to escape my local horizon. Sooo pretty so gorgeous I can't wait to set foot on you NZ !

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by vicarious1

How many times do I come back to your pics to escape my local horizon. Sooo pretty so gorgeous I can't wait to set foot on you NZ !

Thanks Vic ... I can't wait for you to set foot on our soil

[SYDNEY]

Auckland Airport voted 9th best in the world

image hosted on flickr

by geoff-inOz

Auckland Airport has cemented its status as a world-class tourism and trade hub - voted the 9th best airport in the world (up from 10th last year) and the best airport in the Australian Pacific region (for the second year in a row) in the 2010 independent Skytrax World Airport awards. Auckland Airport is the only airport from the Australia Pacific region, and one of only four airports from outside Asia, to make the elite Skytrax top-10 global list. As well as heading off strong competition from across the Tasman to win the Best Airport Australia Pacific trophy, Auckland also triumphed in the Staff Service Excellence category for the region. Auckland Airport’s chief executive, Simon Moutter, said, “We’re incredibly proud. Being recognised as one of the 10 best airports in the world for the first time last year was outstanding in itself, but to see our focus on service delivering an even better result this year is immensely rewarding. We’re grateful to all the travellers who voted for us, and to the entire Auckland Airport community who work so tirelessly to improve the passenger experience and deliver world-class customer service. To us, it’s all about getting it right for travellers, and playing our part to grow New Zealand travel, trade and tourism.”

Announced at The Skytrax World Airport Awards ceremony, held yesterday evening at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2010 in Brussels, Belgium, Skytrax World Airport Awards are the industry’s most extensive air traveller-based awards. The Awards are based on a survey of airport customers conducted between July 2009 and March 2010, covering more than 9.8 million travellers from over 100 different countries. Mr Moutter said, “I think there is a strong link between the Skytrax Awards and our work with our airport partners on efficiency initiatives to improve the traveller experience. For instance, an ongoing project using Lean Six Sigma methodologies is already improving the end-to-end arrivals process considerably, and is being extended to other areas of Auckland Airport operations. “Combined with the enormous investment we have made into our departures and arrivals areas, the introduction of a new and wider range of retail and parking products, the launch of SmartGate and the development of more air-services to Auckland, we’re absolutely focused on how we can make the passenger experience at Auckland Airport memorable for all the right reasons.”

Edward Plaisted, Chairman of Skytrax said: “Auckland International Airport has been improving its overall global ranking during the years of the World Airport Survey, and I congratulate them on achieving this Best Airport Australia Pacific title in 2010. The staff service at Auckland Airport was a clear reason why this airport has performed so well this year, and continued to improve its standing within the overall survey. Many survey respondents commented on pleasant security and immigration staff, as well as improvements in the standard of passenger service information. The top 5 Airports for the Australia / Pacific region was headed by Auckland in 1st with the remaining airports being Brisbane 2nd, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide who achieved 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively." Mr Moutter said, “This recognition is very much driven by passengers. We work exceptionally hard to listen, to understand what they want, and to do what we can to meet passenger needs and provide them with great product and service choices.” Mr Moutter added, “These Skytrax awards are also satisfying because they reflect the genuine New Zealand experiences that travellers have had in terms of the friendliness, can-do attitude and responsiveness of all the people they meet. It’s a testament to the passion and commitment of everyone at the airport, from the border agencies to the baggage handlers, from retailers to rental-car companies, from emergency services to cleaners.

We won’t be standing still. We are determined to keep getting better, and we encourage passengers to help us improve. Our firm belief is that by continuing to provide a great first and last impression of New Zealand, we can help encourage repeat visitors and in turn help drive travel and tourism demand and economic growth.”

[Dustin89]

New Zealand looks amazing. Great thread.

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by Dustin89

New Zealand looks amazing. Great thread.

Thank you that is very kind of you

[SYDNEY]

Queenstown set to treble tourist quota

image hosted on flickr

by www.hamperium.com

New Zealand's premier resort town is riding a wave of tourism growth, and considering how it might handle a trebling of visitor numbers in the next 20 years. Although tourism suffered as a result of the global recession, and numbers from traditional markets such as Europe are still in decline, Queenstown has bounced back strongly because of buoyant visitor numbers from Australia. The town's international airport is on course for record passenger numbers this financial year. International visitor numbers are up 34 per cent, and the airport set a monthly record in January for passengers. It is believed to be among the fastest growing in the world. "We had advice 18 months ago... from Tourism New Zealand that there was the potential for a downturn in the order of 9 per cent in international visitor arrivals in New Zealand," said Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes.

"What that did for us - because we don't have any economic alternatives - was focus us very much on making sure that we committed more money into the Australian market, which we knew we could get a response from. "And that's what we did, and I think that's now working for us." Airlines are sharing in the push from local leaders. Direct flights between Queenstown and Australia will increase this winter to 24 a week, from 16 last winter and 11 the winter before that. "That's how quickly the Australian market is growing," Mr Geddes said. Queenstown Airport chief executive Steve Sanderson said the airport was expected to reach a record 790,000 passengers for the year to June 30. As well as the increase in international flights out of the airport this winter, a 30 per cent increase in direct flights to Auckland to cater for domestic tourists and Japanese tourists was expected, Mr Sanderson said.

"Obviously we are very proud to be managing an airport which is probably the fastest growing airport outside of China, I would imagine. It's very exciting, and the town has responded to that." Calculations by the district council showed the district, hosting 1.3 million visitors a year, would be hosting 4.3 million a year by 2030. Mr Geddes said this was based on what had happened over the past 20 years, and did not take into account the effect changes in the global economy and oil prices might have. "It's a model we have built so we can get some understanding of what the future may look like."

[CocoMay]

beautiful

[ikops]

Is that Mount Cook in Post 45?

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by CocoMay

beautiful

Thank you

Originally Posted by ikops

Is that Mount Cook in Post 45?

Not quite sure - I found this pic of Mount Cook and they look relatively similar - I think that you are correct

image hosted on flickr

by Henri van Veen

[ikops]

I stayed a couple of years ago one night in Twizel and the next day I looked at Mount Cook from a viewpoint at Lake Pukaki. That's why I thought I recognised this mountain.

[SYDNEY]

Originally Posted by ikops

I stayed a couple of years ago one night in Twizel and the next day I looked at Mount Cook from a viewpoint at Lake Pukaki. That's why I thought I recognised this mountain.

How many years ago ?

[ikops]

I am not sure, but I think it was in 2006.