I travel a lot and I love it !Thoughts and observations from where I have been and how I have got there . Expect Cities, nature, planes, trains, advice, hassles and good times.
Air New Zealand took its stake in Virgin Blue (owners of V Australia and Virgin Australia) to 19.9% as a result of a fairly low share prices.
The last time they took an interest in an Australian airline, it almost bankrupted Air New Zealand and the end result was that Australia's longest running domestic carrier Ansett ceased to exist.
Image via WikipediaTen years later, Air New Zealand are hopefully wiser and Virgin are a better business. Former chief executive Rod Eddington "described Ansett publicly and internally as a great airline, but a poor business".
It makes huge sense for Air NZ to have a strong relationship with an Australian carrier. The tie ups with V mean passengers can flow into and out of the Australian and New Zealand markets and Air NZ international routes.
It also makes sense for Virgin to join Air NZ in the Star Alliance network just as Ansett was a member. They are clearly out to compete heavily with Qantas domestically. The question is long term whats the plan for V Australia, their international arm?. They will come in under the Virgin Australia banner in 2012 but what are their plans beyond that. Flights to Phuket and South Africa are halted. Fiji is off the cards and China seems on hold. Qantas is ramping up Asian expansion. Will Virgin focus on middle east or do the same as Qantas?
In the meantime, an ex Virgin executive has gone to Tiger.
As always, the Australasian airline scene remains interesting.
After 43 years of flying I flew on my 777th flight.
My plane parked at LAX gate
In a previous Blog post, I was trying to decide whether to fly my 777th on an Air New Zealand or V Australia 777. I appreciated the advice from friends to try Air NZ's new 777-300 and was glad I did. I have recently blogged about V's superb business class product on the 777-300. This Air NZ flight gave me lots of opportunity for comparison.
For those who haven't been following: I flew #737 on a Southwest B737, #747 on a Qantas 747, #757 with United and #767 with Qantas. For some the number 777 represents perfection and my 777th flight was indeed close to perfect! I took 78 pictures would you believe?!
Check In: 10 out of 10
Air NZ have a dedicated Check in for Business and Gold passengers at Auckland Airport. The beauty of this is that a lift (elevator) leads straight from the check in straight into customs, immigration and security. The time saved walking around the long way is brilliant. Worth staying gold for just for this feature! I checked in early, was the only one using the check in area and was through the whole process in just under 10 minutes!
Lounge: 10 out of 10
V Australia use Air NZ's lounge so any comparison isn't warranted. The NZ lounges continue to be superb. I enjoyed wifi, meal, snacks and a shower. I ate carefully because I wanted to save room for the on board meal!
While waiting in the lounge, I met the on board Concierge, Belinda (pictured next to me). I have not seen this innovation on any other airline and its beyond impressive. My previous experience suggest that the team that Air NZ have chosen for this role are all very good and Belinda was no exception. Concierges answer questions, problem solve, help develop itineraries and make life aboard more pleasant for travellers. Belinda was saying she gets a huge variety of questions – from “can I store luggage at LAX” to “where do I connect?" to "what restaurants are good in San Francisco". I introduced myself to Belinda as the plane geek flying for the 777th time on a 777. She acknowledged me telling me that she had been sent a message from reservations to that effect.
Boarding 9/10
After leaving the lounge, we had another passport and boarding pass check. Some passengers were randomly searched. How someone can have got through check in and immigration with a wrong or false passport I don't know. It seems like overkill. Do they really think they will catch them at this point?
There was almost no line up for the priority boarding line and I zapped through it being wished a good flight by ground staff. Belinda was on hand in the lounge area and welcomed me by name which was a nice touch.
There was a small line to get on the actual 777 but it was moving quickly. There was a sign in the passageway reminding passengers to have their boarding pass ready to show in the aircraft. I have not seen that before but it is helpful especially for people who are not expecting this. I have noted there are some countries where the staff don't look at the boarding pass as you enter the aircraft. On board, I was invited to go left into the front business class cabin.
On Board: 10 out of 10
The Air NZ 777-300 has three cabins as does V Australia. V dedicates more of their plane to Economy.
Air NZ
V Australia
Economy
244
288
Premium Economy
50
40
Business
44
35
Air NZ
V Aust
You will see from the diagram that Air NZ have opted for the herringbone design resulting in four seats across the Business cabin as opposed to V Australia's more traditional layout with seven across.
The front cabin was about half full on this flight. There were plenty of staff bustling around. Within seconds of putting my bags in the roomy overhead locker, a flight attendant appeared to take my jacket for hanging.
Seconds later, another approached bearing drinks. I asked for champagne.
She smiled and said: "I can give you sparkling wine on the ground and champagne in the air. Well at least until we beat the French in the Rugby" (which they did indeed do, a few days later 37-17).
I said “oops. Forgot about the French".
The Air NZ Business Class Seat: 9 out of 10
I sipped my drink and enjoyed my cashews as I inspected my seat.
The seat is leather 22" wide. It has a separate ottoman footrest which you can store stuff on, invite visitors to sit on when chatting to you or put your feet on.
The seat has a 12" TV screen which could be moved into multiple angles, life jacket, a very small pocket (I felt Qantas and V Australia have a little more stowage room around the seat and I like the way QF has a slot available for a bottle of water. The Air NZ bottle didn't seem to quite fit anywhere.
Headphones were noise cancelling.
Next inspection was the all important amenities kit. Coming in a big box the kit consisted of a very colourful pair o f socks, and La Prairie brand moisturiser etc. Air NZ didn't provide a toiletries kit. I would love an airline to give me a quality clear sturdy plastic kit I can take through security anywhere in the world.
Auckland Newspapers and international magazines were distributed. There was some disquiet from some passengers that there were no Wellington or international newspapers.
Safety: 10 out of 10
The safety briefing was the humorous Air NZ rugby one. I always feel that Air NZ take safety seriously without officiousness and try to engage their passengers in the safety process. I did wonder what non-Kiwis would make of some of the "in-jokes" in the video briefing.
Takeoff: 9 out of 10
2130 (930pm) Takeoff out of Auckland was pretty with the city lights spread out below. There were a few minor bumps out of Auckland but nothing dramatic. The seat-belt sign soon went off but came back on very quickly, however as we hit some turbulence. This seemed to be the pattern for the first half of the flight. The sensation of sitting at an angle to the direction of takeoff and landing is one I have not got used to. It does feel quite odd.
Dinner: 10 out of 10
There were three choices with Business Premier for dinner:
Express option which gets a meal out very quickly
Full meal option at the Crew's timing
Meals when you wanted them
Sorry folks, I am not sitting up front to have an express soup and sandwich and I went for the works and must admit I was probably a little piggy.
Entree (starter for the Americans) was a cold mixed seafood dish with a choice of breads. Superb. I combined it with a Bird Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough.
I chose a streak for the main course. This was accompanied by a Syrah wine which was a little drier than I wanted.
For dessert, I chose an ice cream sundae which was delicious if not unusual. Vanilla ice-cream with popcorn and a yummy sauce. This was followed by a cheese platter. I accompanied these dishes with a lovely dessert wine which I forgot to note down.
The team turned my seat into my bed with a nice thick mattress, duvet and two pillows- duck feather and hypo allergenic. Air NZ do not appear to provide pyjamas. Qantas and V do so I wore my Qantas Pjs on this Air NZ flight!
Sleep came quickly and I reckon I got about seven hours. The bed is a little more comfortable than Qantas business class bed and about the same as V Australia's bed. Air NZ mattress is probably a little more comfortable than V Australia;s but I did feel a little strange sleeping at an angle. I must have overcome that because I slept for almost seven hours-soundly.
Snug in my bed-thank you
Lavatories
I must tell you about the lavatories on board (I ended up inspecting almost all of them!). Two of the three business class ones have real windows in them so you can look out at the clouds while using the facilities. The lavatory for disabled people has a mural of a bookcase in it.
Breakfast
I was more restrained with Breakfast having fruit, muesli and yogurt and a croissant This is where the 777 fun really started. The crew really went out of their way to celebrate the fact it was my 777th flight.
Using ingredients on board they had made Little decorative plaques celebrating with me. Thank you.
Landing
We were right on time into a smoggy lax. We left at 930pm NZ time and landed into lax at 240pm the same day because of crossing the dateline.
The amazing Air NZ team
It was hard to fault this flight. It confirmed to me that on this sector that V Australia and Air NZ now lead business class with Qantas following. Way at the bottom on this sector is the woeful United offering. I haven't tried Delta's Business Class on this sector yet. That's for 2012!
Thank you to the Captain and the whole crew of NZ2 for a superb flight.
Next big flights? I was hoping for 787 for my 787th but that's not going to happen because the plane will start flying the week after that milestone. Instead I have A380 flights with three of the carriers I have not sampled the A380 with yet: Korean, Lufthansa and Air France.
Below is a summary of my 777 flights and a world map showing where they have taken me. Some other Flightmemory facts:
I have flown Air New Zealand 39 times travelling 2 times around the world.
I have only flown the 777 17 times including this flight.
Yesterday's Trip Report covered my recent V Australia's Business Class trip between Brisbane, Australia and Los Angeles, USA. Today, I compare the various Business Class offerings of all the trans Pacific carriers. I chose a travel date of of 12th October from Sydney to LAX and travel back 19th October to find pricing. Hawaiian had the cheapest business class fares for those dates.
I have ranked the airlines from Best Business Class on the Australian -US route (V Australia) through to the worst on this sector (United). This is based on both my experience and reviews by others. Happy to be challenged! Or have comments. What have been your long haul Business Class experiences?
Ok, I am excited. My 767th flight of my life is booked on Air New Zealand from Perth to Auckland August 30th on a Boeing 767 of course! Never flown that sector before.
This from what I can tell will be my 108th 767 flight.
Same words...very different costumes...in the last Air New Zealand air safety video, the crew were nude- in this one, they go"funky". Led by flamboyant American fitness personalityRichard Simmons, the briefing introduces all of the usual safety features on a plane (ie no smoking, fasten seatbelts, brace positions, life jacket, luggage etc) as a series of "exercises" to be completed before flying. The instructions are delivered with lots of crazy costumes, boppy music and humourous gags.
The video available for viewing here. What do you think of it? Some thoughts from me:
I noticed a couple of the crew from the previous "nude" video bopping along in this one. Great to see they are still involved. Didnt spot Air NZ CEO this time. Anyone else see him?
My favourite line in the video is when notorious TV broadcaster Paul Henry is told to "stop broadcasting". Watch and listen to his response. I started laughing! Then see what happens next and what he does. Kiwis will get this immediately but non NZers may not understand the references.
I also wondered will I get sick of it if I see it multiple times a month.
And what will a macho NZ sheep farmer think of his national airline's campiness?
Will the crew bop along to the video? I hope so.....I do look forward to my next Air NZ flight to find out!
my very first time flying Virgin Blue's International off shoot V Australia
my first flight across the Pacific in one of my favourite aeroplanes the Boeing 777, the world's largest twin-jet.
my first International flight for 2011
my tenth flight for 2011
my 707th flight ever
Plus I was in Premium Economy!
For a plane geek lots of virginal experiences!
Check-inat Melbourne's Tullamarine airport was brilliant- very smooth and pleasant. From taxi to lounge via security, customs and duty free, in a little less than half an hour! Check-in was initially hindered by an inexplicable experience for me of being not able to find V Australia's Check-in desks! The airport now has a weirdly ordered numbering system for check in counters and V Australia is located right at the back of the check in area. It was aided by the access to priority Check-in and security lines for Gold status passengers. Thanks Virgin!
One major disappointment with check in was that my requested seat had been given to someone else. I know V Australia do not guarantee seat requests but I like it when an airline gives you what you request/choose prior to flying. The new seat I was given didn't excite me so Check-in staff shifted me to the bulkhead row. I like not having people in front of me and I like aisle access. When you sit on 90 planes a year, you become fussy! Keep watching the seat thing though, because it became weird later on.
My bag (which i normally carry on) weighed in at 10.5kg (22lbs) because of 3kg of gifts I am carrying -so I checked it in which I dont often do!
Lounge: V Australia use the fabulous Air New Zealand lounge for Business and Gold passengers. Showers, food and champagne! Heaven! (I do like my lounges!) My only complaint was that I could not log onto the Internet at all until the Air NZ flight to Auckland emptied the lounge. Suddenly Internet access was available to me but was very slow.
Boarding call came late. At Gate 14, Virgin again had a priority line for business and Gold. But first everyone had to have their passport and boarding pass sighted by security (just in case you have got to this point with false ID?). Then the staff scanned the boarding passes. When my turn came, the boarding pass machine gave a beep. This beep usually means one of three things:
seat change
two people in same seat
or the magic upgrade
The gate attendant took my pass to the supervisor's desk and came back saying: "you need to go and see the supervisor". So back I went, out of the immediate gate area to see the supervisor. When I got there, she brusquely handed me a new Boarding card; "you have been reallocated, as we needed to accommodate a family". While I totally understand and respect that situation, l would have appreciated a "sorry" or a "thank you" - or that always hoped for upgrade to Business Class!
To add insult to injury, I then had to line up again to have my boarding pass and passport scanned by a security officer before going past the same check in gate (no beep this time).
Boarding the plane was slow. The on board crew were very friendly and welcoming- something they kept up all night- not easy to do on a 13+ hour shift. The plane for the flight over to the USA was V Australia's very first plane Didgeree Blue (this was actually the runner up name in the competition to name the airline). I love the 777 and V Australia have decorated it brilliantly although the Economy seats look a little out of character.
This was where things got a little weird. The gentleman occupying the seat in the Bulkhead row aisle seat that I had just been bumped out of was clearly sans family. He boarded by himself, sat by himself and yes I watched him deplane by himself. So if i was bumped out of my seat for a family, where were the family? If the other gentleman was moved out of his seat for a family, why was he moved into mine for which I had a boarding pass and not the one I eventually ended up in? Weird. Effectively this means I was shifted around the cabin four times.
With Qantas, Air NZ and United, the seat that I request beforehand is always the seat I get at Check-in unless they upgrade me. Likewise the seat I get at Check-in with Air NZ, Qantas and United has always been the seat I have sat in unless I have been upgraded. I have no trust in V Australia that the nice aisle seat that is allocated to me in the exit or bulkhead row, might be traded for a middle seat at the rear of the craft at the last second. And on a journey this long, this could be a disaster for long-legged me!
Having said, that the Premium Economy seats were comfortable and spacious. The bottle of water and impressive amenities kits were a delight. V also have a groovy feature in this cabin: a self service bar at the front of the cabin (Qantas have them too on the A380). I felt overall, V Australia's Premium economy beat Qantas (and easily beat United) Premium Economy offerings on the same sector.
Cabin Crew: Ashley, our very friendly and helpful cabin attendant welcomed each passenger personally with a drink. I chose the sparkling wine as did the passenger seated next to me, a Peruvian woman living in Hobart, Australia. Ashley and David were assigned to the Premium Economy cabin and looked after the passengers in their cabin very very well. Thanks guys. Nice wine too!
Safety demonstration was thorough which always gives me confidence in a crew.
Takeoff was brilliant. Boy, those engines are huge! We rolled slowly down the runway, gathered speed and climbed up over Melbourne's western suburbs heading toward Port Phillip Bay. We had been warned of a few bumps on climb - and had none. We soared through a bank of fluffy white cloud over a sparkling Bay. Melbourne at its best.
The very second the seat belt sign went off, the woman in front of the woman sitting next to me, reclined her seat to full recline bringing the TV screen centimetres from my new Peruvian friend's nose! I was glad she was not sitting in front of me until she reclined her child's seat too. What was funny was that the child was then too far back from the TV screen so the 5 or 6 or 7 year old had to lean forward. In other words the whole recline thing was wasted. I spent the flight wondering whether to ask the mother to un-recline her kid's seat. Even fully reclined, it wasn't too squashy for my long legs and I even slept for six hours which is really rare for me on a plane flight.
I noted that passengers were not instructed to bring their seats up for meals which is common practice on other airlines I have flown on.
Beverage/Meal Service: a full ten out of ten for all of the food served on the flight (except for the banana cake dessert -I hate banana cake so that's my problem). Take note United Airlines with your appalling food on this sector (see previous blog post on my worst Pacific crossing experience.
Entertainment: I loved the V Australia system: - user friendly with great selection. Is it the same as Virgin America system? Either way, its got to be my favourite airline entertainment system. I watched 9 episodes of Modern Family (so much for not being a T V watcher!). I noticed the child in front of me was watching the Simpsons and Family Guy. The woman next to me enjoyed movies.
The flight was smooth the whole way across the Pacific. This is more luck than anything else as it depends on the oceanic weather patterns. I have had some very rough crossings over the Pacific. Two women in the on-board Bar were convinced that it was the 777 that made the trip so smooth. Another reason to love the 777?
Dawn broke not far out of LAX and we landed beautifully into a clear cool Los Angeles day. The greatest disadvantage of V Australia appeared at this point. With Qantas, United and Air New Zealand, their planes roll to a gate in their respective terminals.
Not so with V Australia. We kept rolling on the ground for ages before pulling up at aerobridge in the back blocks of LAX next to an Air Tahiti Nui and El Al plane. The air-bridge also took a long time to connect (so long in fact, that we were invited to sit again). We then climbed down stairs down to the airport tarmac.
Waiting there were buses which completely disinterested LAX employees were hanging around. There was not one of them interested in directing people to the buses- dreadful welcome (what one expects from LAX). Our very full bus went for a very long drive back to the International terminal. With no directions from ground crew, we got off the bus and entered a series of corridors. It was then a long walk through horrible LAX to get to immigration. The bright spot was that getting through immigration didn't take me long as I was near the front of the group. When I was through immigration, I was pleased to find my luggage was waiting. From touchdown to street was about 50 minutes. I have been timing my treks through immigration and have been getting them under 30 minutes so V Australia was much slower for me here and believe me every minute in the LAX terminal after a 13 hour flight is excruciating.
I caught my shuttle bus to the hotel and had a nice 2.5 mile run, shop, and sleep overnight before flying the next day to Dallas (see next blog post).
Now the scoring for the Trans-Pacific route compared to my ratings with the other airlines I have flown that route with:
#1 Air New Zealand 98% #2 V America 94%
#3 Qantas 93%
#4 United 69%
Overall, I thought V were brilliant with almost everything. Where V mega-failed was the run around with the bizarre seating allocation and the equally frustrating runaround with the bus to the LAX terminal. These were not disasters and I look forward to my next V Australia trip in April.
So in 2010, I flew 90 times with my 90th flight for the year on 31st of December 2010 bringing my total air distance for the year to 202 000km (120 000 miles). I feel that gives me some qualifications for the following subjective rankings.
Best Airlines
I have confessed a few times in this blog that my favourite airline in the world (out of the 70 I have flown) is now Emirates.
Emirates - all round amazing customer service product- friendly, amazing food, attention to detail
Air New Zealand, an efficient and friendly operator- I love the fact they still give sweets/candies/lollies as you come into land
Lufthansa- -my perception of the German flag carrier is that they would be unfriendly and intimidating-far far from it- and the food is amazing
Singapore Airlines-while I have some reservations over their safety, Singapore is a baseline for being a good airline-boo hiss for them introducing fees for exit row seats
Lan - my other surprise for the year was discovering what a classy offering this airline is
Virgin America- everything about this airline is class
JetBlue- a US Carrier that are a pleasure to fly with
Qantas- its a worry when an airline that I used to put at the top three is at number 8. My perception along with many other loyal passengers is of an airline that has lost its service crown
Cathay Pacific- Cathay keeps earning awards for being the best. I have always regarded them highly but I think their product is slipping
British Airways-following the crowd in a decline in service but still in my top ten
Southwest and Air Tran, , two US carriers that are in the process of merging share 11th spot for different reasons, Southwest's fun, straightforward service earns them respect and AirTran has some really good standout features. I will be sorry to see them go
Not tried Etihad yet who are ranked best airline in world by skytrax
Worst Airlines
Air Zimbabwe- I have not actually flown them for a while but their continuing decline is very distressing
United-tough competition for the second worst spot but United's horrific performance got them to second worst airline but it was a narrow victory
Alitalia-one hopes that the takeover of them by Air France will improve things, one tatty, rude airline, They were third worst for me last year and here they are again
Air Asia-the recent Business class enhancements may be boosting this airline but I still put them a 4th worst
Tiger Airways- I think these guys are appalling. Nothing will possess me to fly them again
Ryan Air- the epitome of how not to fly. When an airline charges you by the minute to ring their complaints number, there has got to be something wrong. Having said that I have been fine with them -if you have no expectations
Jetstar- ugh shudder- how they get awards beats me but I rate them a little higher than I did last year
American Airlines- great to see some improvement here. The staff are a little less grumpy and their Admiral's Clubs have some food in them again. Would be nice if Qantas flyers could get free wifi in the lounges please. Still American Airlines continue to be a dark spot in the One World alliance
US Airlines- has managed to combine the worst features of all the airlines that have merged with them
Delta- Never thought I would say/see this but Delta actually has been getting better. Their wifi on board, website booking system , frequent flier program all improved. Its still a terrible airline but more bearable than it was a year ago. They are almost out of my top ten worst airlines.
NB I have not flown Cubana, Kyoro (North Korean), Aeroflot or Iran Air!!
My flight with my 70th airline (LAN Chile) almost came to blows in the Check In line - before it had started.
I get to stand in the priority check in queue because of the curse/benefit of having flown too much!!. When I arrived at Auckland, New Zealand airport for my 430am Check in for Sydney, I went straight to the Priority Line. As I stood there, I observed the man in the regular line was eyeing me carefully. When the check in clerk gestured to me to move forward, he was off! He roared across with his luggage trolley, narrowly scraping in front of me. The check in clerk gestured him to stop and waved me forward again. He kept zooming up to the counter glowering at me the whole way and demanding attention from the check in staff. Suffice to say, the clerk refused to serve him. He looked ready to punch me out as he slunk back to his place in the line. I could feel his eyes burning holes in my back as i checked in!
Air New Zealand handled the check in on behalf of LAN. I appreciated their initiative in getting me an exit row seats. What was even nicer was that they seated me alone! (after defending my place in then line!)
The LAN plane was an A340 which I love. Its a great plane. Almost as nice as the A380 but its engines don't seem to blow up. It feels roomy (especially in 25A exit row!).
Being an airline from a Spanish speaking country, the crew were bilingual. They greeted each passenger in Spanish and/or English. I decided I would go Spanish! Every member of the crew from front door to my seat welcomed me!
Safety briefings included the crew standing silently while a cute cartoon briefing played. It was very well done.LAN appeared to take safety very seriously and their pre safety checks were quite thorough (compare to Uniteds' slap dash approach I blogged about a few weeks ago)
The pilot made his announcements in English and Spanish and wasted no time in getting the plane into the air. It was a superb take off on a grey morning
My only two negatives with my seat were:
that the man who tried to head me off at the check in was just a couple of seats behind. He glared at me as he boarded!
that it was opposite the :facilities" which were well used after take off and before landing.
Breakfast was fresh fruit, a very fresh ham and cheese croissant and carrot cake. Alcohol (from Chile) and non alcoholic drinks were freely and generously available. Cabin Service was warm and friendly from all crew.
The Trans-Tasman route Between Australia and New Zealand is one of the more competitive in Asia Pacific. Multiple airlines have slugged it out on this route. Because i like ranking everything, This list ranks the airlines on that sector based on my rating of my experiences with them:
These ratings are ONLY for the Trans Tasman (Aust-NZ) Service
Emirates (amazing meals, great service, comfy planes, individual entertainment) 55/60
LAN (good meals, v good service, comfy planes, individual entertainment) 51/60
Air New Zealand (no meals to good meals, v good service) : 50/60
Qantas (ok meals, ok service, cramped planes, no ind entertainment) 39/60
Pacific Blue/Virgin Blue (no food, ok service, cramped planes, no ind entertainment) 30/60
Continental (ceased this sector)
Jetstar (no food, ok service, cramped planes, no ind entertainment) 26/60
United (ceased)
Aerolíneas Argentinas (not flown but they have a horrendous rap) ?/60
I would fly with LAN again! I just hope check in is in the afternoon! (and watch out for pushy men at check in)
I just ticked over total flying time of 85 days or 2040:40 hours! I was tickled with that number 2040:40!!!! This has taken me 647 flights. I am on the way to the magic one million miles - about 1.6 million kilometres! Over half of those miles have been with one airline: Qantas. A third has been with United Airlines, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, American Airlines, Air New Zealand and Continental Airlines combined. The remainder is split between 60 other airlines!
New Zealand is one of the most stunning countries in the world. It stretches 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) from North to South. It has an area of268,021 km2103,483 sq miles slightly bigger than Britain and slightly smaller than Italy. It is made up two main islands (North and South Islands) plus several smaller islands including Stewart Island and the Chatam Islands). Some of my favourite hikes in the world are found in NZ!
That stunning piece of Middle Earth is home to 40 million sheep and just under 4.4 million people - and as of yesterday two major airlines: Air New Zealand (my favourite airline in the world) and Qantas owned Jetstar (my fourth most disliked airline in the world!).
Pacific Blue (part of the Virgin empire) have been running services around New Zealand since 2007. They promised Happy Flying, great planes and great prices (see their fun advertisement which unlike Air New Zealand's fun one features employees with clothes on).
Yesterday Pacific Blue announced that it will completely pull out of the New Zealand domestic market from October, 2010. They will increase trans Tasman (ie Australia-NZ flights), however.
This means several thousand seats across New Zealand will vanish. Jetstar have announced some increase in capacity and vowed to keep prices low but with only two airlines flying that means there will be a lot fewer cheap options.
If you live in Dunedin, the news is really bad. Only Air NZ will service the city meaning that cheap fares will be much much harder to find. The last two times I went to Dunedin, I took the bus for a five hour from Christchurch. Dunedin airport is so far out of town, that it was much cheaper to take the bus all the way to Christchurch than to take a taxi to Dunedin airport! Christchurch had many more cheaper air options and the bus trip was quite pleasant. I read, worked and enjoyed the sights. (I would love the train back on this route please). Not every one has this leisurely option though!
On top of the bad news for Kiwi fliers, about 450 Pacific Blue people will lose jobs (though Pacific Blue will need 100 more people for its Trans Tasman services).
New Zealand has struggled to get a competitive market. These airlines have all come and gone in the last 15 years.
Ansett New Zealand: 1987-2000 ..did they ever make money? Sold when Air NZ bought Ansett International
CityJet: flew Embraer EMB 110 between Wellington, Nelson, Blenheim, & Palmerston North from May to November 1999 - they were grounded over safety irregularities
Freedom: started by Air New Zealand to compete with Kiwi International on trans Pacific routes- lasted 1995 to 2007
Kiwijet: supposed to start between 2007 and 2009 -never got off the ground
Kiwi Travel International Airlines: Operated Trans Pacific from 1994 until 1996 - until their CEO was charged with multiple counts of fraud
Origin Pacific: my personal favourite Kiwi competitor- lasted from 1996 to 2006 before collapsing under mountains of debt. I remember once flying from Hamilton to Wellington to Nelson clutching the little drink box and snack the pilots gave out on boarding while the Co Pilot did the safety briefing which was interrupted by a nervous German tourist who begged him to reassure her that the plane was safe. He told her with a straight face that Wellington would be a smooth landing (Wellington is the windiest airport in the world in my opinion)
Qantas New Zealand- pulled out of the domestic market and replaced by "low cost" Jetstar
Tasman Pacific Airlines -operated as a Qantas New Zealand franchise from 2000 before going broke in 2001
Air transport is crucial in New Zealand. While they have a great intercity bus service operated by three major companies (Naked Bus company is one of them -what is it with nudity in NZ Transport?), taking the bus from the North to the South is not always practical. It also has a limited under invested rail service. Geographically, the small population base probably means high speed rail is never going to be an option.
Will another airline try to come in and replace Virgin Blue? I doubt it. By now, financiers must realise that there is no money to be made in the New Zealand market. So I fear higher air fares are here to stay in New Zealand.
Image via WikipediaTen years later, Air New Zealand are hopefully wiser and Virgin are a better business. Former chief executive Rod Eddington "described Ansett publicly and internally as a great airline, but a poor business".
Image via WikipediaTen years later, Air New Zealand are hopefully wiser and Virgin are a better business. Former chief executive Rod Eddington "described Ansett publicly and internally as a great airline, but a poor business".
