New Zealand Updates
Wellington Airport’s Air New Zealand Koru Lounge Development Updates - Wellington Airport’s Koru Lounge is in the next development phase with a large-scale refurbishment starting next month. There will be a 10% increase in seating, with the majority of the seating having power/USB charging facilities. The Lounge will be out of operation from 26 March whilst the construction is undertaken. During this time, Koru members will be able to access two interim lounge facilities, one located after gates 14 and 15 on level 0 and one by gate 16 directly after domestic security screening on level 1. Read more here.
New Electronic Travel Authority comes into effect mid-2019 - The number of visitors to New Zealand has grown significantly over the past few years, and growth is expected to continue. Most short term visitors arriving by air do not need to apply for a visa, which supports our tourism industry by making it easy to travel. However, when people don’t have to apply for visas, we only learn about them once they are en route to New Zealand. Therefore we are unable to screen travellers in advance and this reduces the ability to enter New Zealand smoother and faster. The Electronic Travel Authority is part of a wider government effort to make border crossing as seamless as possible.
Air Updates
Air New Zealand increases direct services from Auckland - Air New Zealand is set to launch a new direct service between Auckland and Seoul from late November 2019. They will also increase the frequency of flights from Auckland to Taipei from November and Auckland to Chicago from December.
Air New Zealand announces inflight Wi-Fi free for long haul flights - Air New Zealand has introduced free inflight Wi-Fi on all Wi-Fi enabled planes when flying internationally. The 777-300 and 777-200 fleets are first in line to get inflight Wi-Fi with more aircrafts being enabled throughout 2019 and 2020. Their A321neos and A320neos are delivered with the technology installed, and they will start their 787 fleets later in 2019.
Qantas announces seasonal Melbourne to Queenstown services - Qantas will launch new seasonal flights direct from Melbourne to Queenstown from 21 June until 27 August 2019. The flights will operate three times a week - Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays - between Melbourne and Queenstown offering more than 10,000 seats in addition to the 33 existing Queenstown services available each week.
Land Updates
Uber now has dedicated rideshare pickup zones at Auckland Airport - Uber has announced that there are now dedicated rideshare pickup zones at Auckland Airport at both the domestic and international terminals. For domestic travellers, the pickup zone is located behind the rental car building car park (approximately 150 metres from the domestic terminal. For international travellers, the pickup zone is located outside door 11, next to the McDonald’s at the arrivals area.
World's Best Airport revealed for 2019 - Singapore’s Changi Airport has been named the World’s Best Airport at the 2019 Skytrax World Airport Awards for the seventh consecutive year. Over the last 12 months, Changi Airport has renovated terminals 4 and 3 and have utilised indoor gardens and natural lights. Over Christmas, they partnered with Warner Bros Singapore to transform the inside of the airport into a Harry Potter inspired theme park.
Accor launches a new hotel brand - Accor has launched a new lifestyle brand called TRIBE. TRIBE is a redesigned hospitality concept focused on experiences and expectations through its smart design, artistic collection and service focused on the essentials. Accor has opened its first TRIBE hotel in Perth, with 10 more being in the pipeline.
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