As an Honorary Kiwi, I present Air New Zealand’s new promotion (they’re famous for their funny ads), featuring a kiwi that is no longer flightless due to cultural evolution. As FastCompany notes,
In the plucky airline’s first global brand campaign aimed at U.S. and Canadian residents—starring a talking kiwi named Pete who is voiced by Jurassic Park’s Sam Neill—Air New Zealand will teach travelers all about the wonders of the kiwi bird and encourage them to follow their dreams to New Zealand (hopefully, on a certain airline).
The campaign is part of a concerted push for a growing number of American visitors. “Air New Zealand is probably the premium airline that you’ve probably never heard of living in America,” says Air New Zealand’s CEO, Christopher Luxon. “I would argue it’s the most successful airline in the world, by commercial results, customer results, and cultural results.” Some numbers may back him up: In 2016, Air New Zealand posted record profits of $663 million (which it shared with its staff in the form of bonuses) and the airline has been named Airline of the Year for the last four years in a row by the review website AirlineRatings.com.
Very clever, those Kiwis.
Very good. Certainly beats getting dragged around by United. Premium Economy looks much better than the usual economy misery we look so forward to.
“… and cultural results.”
What does that mean, spreading the wonder of airline food?
I imagine they mean the impact it has had on spreading New Zealand culture, and/or on New Zealand’s own culture.
Regardless, you’d be surprised at the food options you might have on a high-end international flight!
Hmm. Last time I flew on Air NZ (Auckland to Sydney) the food wasn’t very good. The next leg to Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airlines was much better and Air France to Paris was excellent. That was about four years ago.
Air New Zealand like to pose as ‘the New Zealand airline’ but in fact they’re now just an international airline that operates out of Auckland and finds the ‘kiwi-ness’ a good marketing ploy. Their heavy maintenance base is in Singapore.
(Admission – I’ve had a jaundiced view of them ever since the Erebus crash. I hold grudges.)
cr
… which must be why, 5 minutes after posting this, I just got a special offer cheap fare Air NZ offer in my inbox…?
Coincidence is weird sometimes.
cr
Well, while I guess Auckland to Sydney is *technically* an international flight, it’s not the kind of international flight I was thinking…
Well, since the NZ/Oz relationship is currently approaching that between North and South Korea, it certainly isn’t ‘domestic’ 😉
More realistically, it counts as ‘international’ for Air NZ, it uses international equipment (i.e. planes configured for international flights rather than domestic).
I don’t know if International and Domestic are still separate divisions within Air NZ. They were for a while after Air NZ swallowed the NAC (National Airways Corporation). I remember one flight to Rarotonga on a ‘Domestic’ 737 that was great because all the cabin crew were ex-NAC and for them, this was their only overseas trip and they were in an exceptionally good mood (as compared with regular Air New Zealand staff for whom Raro was just another route).
cr
Me too
That incident was unforgivable.
That was so adorable! And Sam Neill is my favorite Kiwi actor.
“That was so adorable!”
Beat me to it. 😀
I dread trans-Pacific flights with North American carriers. Air New Zealand, Qantas and Cathay Pacific are the best!
Perhaps I should send a link of this to our Australian deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce. According to New Zealand law, it turns out he has dual New Zealand citizenship by descent, despite being born in Australia.
According to the arcane Australian constitution, written at the end of the 19th century, people with allegiance to another country, including dual citizenship, aren’t eligible to be elected to parliament.
At the end of the week, he’s going to be acting Prime Minister when the Prime Minister is out of the country at a forum of South Pacific leaders.
New Zealanders have a sense of humour almost as good as that of Australians. Barnaby Joyce has been nominated for New Zealander of the Year.
What a refreshing change from the mendacious bullshit passing for advertising in this country.