New Zealand Airline History
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Thursday 24 October 2024
Origin Pacific Airways timetable 1998
Monday 21 October 2024
50 years of Air New Zealand
On 30 April 1990, Air New Zealand paid for an advertising supplement in the Evening Post celebrating 50 years of the airline. On the front page Qantas paid for the above ad.
The whole supplement is included below. followed by the specific articles. The feature included a full page ad by the airline noting it had flown over 350 million kilometres from 1940 until 1990, and over 200 international flights a week. The airline has grown substantially since then. Also included is a photograph that appears to depict an early airport terminal (not clear which one to me).
Articles cover the following topics:
- The first ever passenger of TEAL, who paid £25 at the time (1940) to fly from Sydney to Auckland.
- First Day Cover and Stamp issued for the airline's 50th anniversary depicting the Shorts Empire flying boat that operated the first flight, carrying 10 passengers across the Tasman at a speed of 220km/h, and depicting the airline's newest aircraft at the time - the Boeing 747-400.
- Cakes served on all flights to commemorate the anniversary.
- The Solent Flying Boat Preservation Society and the preservation of flying boats
- A brief history of the airline and its fleet from 1940 until 1990
Wednesday 16 October 2024
Aspiring Air, Sea Bee Air and Float Air
Aspiring Air (Wanaka), Sea Bee Air (Auckland) and Float Air (Picton) were all small air operators that existed in the 1980s and are all now defunct. Much more detailed articles exist on the 3rd Level Blog website about each of them as follows:
Thursday 10 October 2024
Ill-fated Air New Zealand -Qantas merger proposal - and Concorde visits New Zealand
Unfortunately there is no date for this article by David Stone from the Independent (NZ) around 2002, which is about the ill-fated proposal, initiated by Qantas, to invest in Air New Zealand, after the latter had been rescued by the New Zealand Government following the collapse of Ansett Australia. The story behind this is long and not for this post, but in effect it went like this:
- Ansett having collapsed and the New Zealand Government letting its own indecision about foreign investment in Air New Zealand mean it had to buy the airline out to protect its New Zealand based operations, Qantas saw a rare opportunity to kneecap any chance of Air New Zealand flying domestically in Australia.
- Qantas had long sought to tie up the markets of both countries, including the Tasman, into a single venture, facing fairly limited competition (especially with the collapse of Ansett, Qantas figured it could tolerate Virgin Blue as it was then as proving it had competition, alongside foreign carriers).
- Qantas initiated the idea of investing in Air NZ to ensure it wouldn't fall into the hands of a rival, it was called a commercial and equity "alliance", and would have sewn up most of the two markets into one major carrier.
The full page advertisement in the Evening Post on 26 October 1985 of a BA Concorde visiting New Zealand was promoting an opportunity to fly on the aircraft on 6 April 1986 requesting people phone a number or drop off a business card to the consultant in Palmerston North. It offered a five course dinner while taking the flight, for one hundred people.
Monday 7 October 2024
Ansett NZ - Flying Air NZ First Class in 1985
As I have multiple random newspaper articles, here are three from 1988-1989, and a separate article on flying Air NZ in first class in 1990
The Dominion Editorial on 5 August 1989 bemoaning that Ansett New Zealand exists mainly to keep Air New Zealand "decent" on domestic routes, but not enough people fly on it to keep it viable. The editorial says Ansett is the "tops" just "we don't fly it enough". That of course, was ultimately the problem. It takes a humorous turn predicting what would happen if (!) Ansett NZ shut down... "Anyone producing a sandwich or a pork nibble would see it snatched away and thrust into a binliner by a painted brunhilde in a bouffant hairdo who has been kept on the payroll these last few years for this happy occasion"..."The overall mood would be Czechoslovakia 1968"... "Let's not blow it over Ansett" it ends, hoping enough people would fly on it. In the end, they did not.
A related article from 1988 predicted Ansett NZ might fly international flights (which it never did), but it would need to be 65% New Zealand owned to be designated to do so. The article noted that it could only fly routes "left open" by Air New Zealand giving landing rights (in effect routes that do not have capacity limits all taken by Air New Zealand).
The small article notes Air NZ's upgrade of its Boeing 747-200, 767 and 737 fleets with "new contour seats" for business and first class, and new menus, wines and tableware, with Royal Doulton China for first and business class.
The meals are described, with Hors d'oeuvres, caviar and the "five fine wines". The large reclining seats did not go completely flat of course, but he did have a good sleep, although after six hours it was time to be fed again for the arrival at Honolulu. A continental breakfast was served. At Honolulu everyone clears customs and immigration so the Honolulu-Los Angeles segment is effectively domestic, but it sounds like passengers all picked up luggage and dropped it off again. Then full breakfast is served including panfried fish, poached eggs or omelette. Before landing at Los Angeles, more food is served with sandwiches, cheese and biscuits and petit fours with coffee. It was also noted there was a movie, which of course was shown on a single big screen at the front (no personal entertainment screens in 1985).
Certainly catering in 1985 in first class was a big deal, but compared to 2024 in business class, which almost universally includes a lie flat seat/bed, and personal entertainment system, not to mention non-stop flights between NZ and the US mainland, it's hard to miss too much of flying in first class in 1985 (not to mention the fact part of the cabin would have had smoking allowed).
Wednesday 2 October 2024
Ansett NZ full page newspaper ads 1987
For just over a month in June-July 1987, Ansett New Zealand took out full page advertisements in The Evening Post and The Dominion following its launch of services. It highlighted the key points of difference in its service compared to Air New Zealand. The themes were:
- Purpose built new terminals at Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch
- Ansett Golden Wing club and lounges
- Breakfast for passengers in all classes
- Swift baggage delivery for collection
- Few queues for check-in
- Discount fares for off peak travel.
Hot meals at meal times (in economy class as well as first class) was a key product differentiator for Ansett New Zealand, with the idea that hurried business travellers could get breakfast on the flight being seen as an attraction. Air New Zealand responded with cold meals, so Ansett was keen to make the point that hot food was available (although of course Golden Wing lounges also would offer "refreshments").
Friday 27 September 2024
Opening of new Wellington Airport Terminal
Page 2 summarises facts about the airport noted the terminal area is 33,644 m2, The total cost was $42m and was part of a $116m of development for the airport. 3.5m passengers per annum were seen at 1999 and forecast to be 6m by 2011. (it was 6.4m in 2019). The article on the terminal noted it was the first multi-user terminal in Australasia, combining domestic, international and commuter airlines sharing the same facility.
Notable at the bottom of the page is Ansett NZ advertising opening of its new Golden Wing Lounge, which would close in 2001 (with the space subsequently used by Qantas for its domestic Qantas Club, until it abandoned flying domestically in NZ by transferring services to Jetstar in 2009).
Page 3 describes the airport open day.