Air New Zealand has been named "Best Airline to the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand" in 2007 by Business Traveler Magazine in the United States.
Business Traveler Magazine has been a leader in recognising excellence in the industry for nearly two decades and last year also awarded Air New Zealand the same prestigious title - the first time the New Zealand carrier has won the award two years in a row.
Air New Zealand Group General Manager International Airline Ed Sims says he is delighted with this year's award, which recognises the focus and significant investment the airline has put into developing a world-class service and product.
"This once again proves that the uniquely Kiwi experience we offer combined with a fantastic product sets us apart from our competitors," he says.
"When we bring customers from the other side of the world to experience our own backyard we want the New Zealand experience to begin the minute they step onboard our aircraft - from our crew's warm and welcoming attitude to a product that distinctively references New Zealand through wine and food, inflight entertainment and decor."
Mr Sims also says that Air New Zealand has put a significant amount of effort into developing quirky promotional campaigns to capture the attention of potential customers in the US.
"Getting cut-through in a massive, cluttered market like the US is really challenging for a small, niche airline like Air New Zealand and endorsements such as this by US Business Traveler magazine go a long way to creating awareness of our airline."
The Business Traveler award is the latest in a string of accolades for Air New Zealand's international services. It was recently named Australasia's Leading Business Class Airline at the 14th Annual World Travel Awards.
ENDS
For more information:
Tracey Palmer
Corporate Communications Manager
Air New Zealand
Tel 09 336 3179
021 628 129
Email tracey.palmer@airnz.co.nz
NOTE: The content of all Air New Zealand media releases are accurate at the time of issue, as stated at the top of each release. For updates on any changes, please contact Air New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award, Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 19,500 daily flights to 1,071 airports in 171 countries.
For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com.
