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Air New Zealand presented its new Business Premier cabin, the replacement for its current First and Business Class…
Air New Zealand presented its new Business Premier cabin, the replacement for its current First and Business Class long-haul product rolling out on its refitted B747 aircraft from the middle of this year.
As well as the new Business Premier cabin, Air New Zealand`s fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft and eight new Boeing 777-200 aircraft are being configured into a new three class layout which also includes a new super economy class for the airline called Pacific Premium Economy and the Pacific Economy cabin. Air New Zealand will be the only airline flying into New Zealand to offer premium economy seating.
While exact dates are yet to be announced, Air New Zealand`s San Francisco – Auckland service has been confirmed last week as the first route to offer a guaranteed refitted 747 service which is expected to be available by August.
The second route to offer the guaranteed service will be on NZ1 and NZ 2 into and out of London Heathrow which is anticipated for the end of the year along with a guaranteed service on flights between Los Angeles and Auckland.
Air New Zealand`s European Regional Manager, Simon Bean said People travelling from UK will be among the first to experience the new Air New Zealand long-haul product, with their holiday to New Zealand starting the moment they step on board the aircraft at London Heathrow.
New seats, new in-flight entertainment systems, new uniforms, and a new food and beverage service reflecting the very best of New Zealand style are just some of the developments we are working on to dramatically improve our long-haul offering. And later this year the first of our new B777s will start in service on selected routes. It has been quite a journey and we look forward to delivering an absolutely market-leading product to our customers in the second half of this year.
Customers may enjoy the refitted B747s on an ad hoc basis from London until the guaranteed service starts later this year. The number of guaranteed routes across the network will increase in line with the regular rollout of refitted aircraft.
On sale dates, final pricing and exact aircraft configuration for all three classes will be announced shortly.
Business Premier will offer a completely lie flat sleeping bed, making Air New Zealand also the only airline to offer such a bed at a business class price on flights into New Zealand.
The innovative design includes a comfortable, 22 wide leather armchair that converts into a 6ft 7.5 bed, an ottoman footrest that doubles as a visitor`s seat, direct aisle access for all passengers, in-seat power and high resolution 10.4 screen to view the on-demand entertainment system.
Pacific Premium Economy will be located in the premium cabin and feature the largest pitch in its class at 39-40 together with a generous seat width and on-demand entertainment on a personal 8.4 high resolution screen.
Customers will enjoy many of the comforts of the premium cabin, including the same beverage service, LED mood cabin lighting and in-seat power for electrical devices.
Pacific Economy will retain Air New Zealand`s famous 34 seat pitch on its B747 aircraft, the most generous of any long haul carrier serving New Zealand and will also feature on-demand entertainment with high resolution 8.4 in-seat video screens.
The $160 million upgrade of the B747 fleet is already in progress, with suppliers well into production of key components including seats and interiors. The refit of the first aircraft is expected to begin in April and be flying by July.
The first of Air New Zealand`s new 777 aircraft is expected to be in service in October.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
