AirAsia X to Add Flights To U.S., New Zealand and India

As originally reported by The Wall Street Journal, AirAsia X Bhd., the low-fare affiliate of the AirAsia Group, will resume flights to India and start service to the U.S. this year as the company looks to expand. Benyamin Ismail, chief executive of AirAsia X, stated that low fuel prices and increasing market potential have refueled the option to fly to India. The budget carrier will operate four flights a week between New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia X abandoned flights to New Delhi in 2012.

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is speculated to approve the airline’s request to operate four flights a week from the Malaysian capital to Honolulu. Last year AirAsia X had planned to start flights to Honolulu in November. Flights to Honolulu will stop over in Osaka to tap into the large number of Japanese tourists who travel to Hawaii.

AirAsia X also announced on its website that it is launching flights to Auckland, New Zealand from Kuala Lumpur via Gold Coast, Australia. The daily flights are scheduled to begin operating on March 22 and are slated to strengthen the airline’s connectivity between Asia, Australia and the North Island of New Zealand.

This brand new destination was officially launched in Kuala Lumpur Monday.

“At AirAsia X, our aim is to continue building an extensive list of exciting destinations to our guests and the introduction of this new route is in line with our turnaround initiatives that we believe will bring positive contribution to the bottom line,” concluded Ismail.

by Maile Bucher On Jan 13, 2016

Aviation Pros.com

Aircraft crash at Nelson Airport

The ZK-MAC Sportstar Plus light aircraft that crash landed at Nelson Airport.

A student pilot was uninjured during a crash-landing of a light aircraft at Nelson Airport.

Emergency were called to the scene about 1:20pm on Wednesday.

Pacific Pilot Training chief flying instructor David Marriott said the nose wheel on the aircraft had collapsed on landing.

"It doesn't normally happen. It was a landing accident, basically."

He said the student pilot on a routine training flight was OK, but "a bit upset".

Marriott said there was "a little bit of damage" to the aircraft.

The crash caused some disruption to other flights at Nelson Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

Nelson Mail/Stuff

Photo MARION VAN DIJK

13 January 2016

Crash closes Nelson Airport

A small aircraft crashed onto the Nelson Airport runway at around 1.20 pm today.

The incident has closed the Nelson Airport, no flights will be taking off until the runway is cleared.

Chief Executive Officer, Robert Evans says the male pilot was performing a training flight before the aircraft crashed.

“It’s just a small single engine aircraft belonging to Pacific Pilot Training, there are no injuries at this stage, the guy walked away and we’re just waiting for CAA approval to remove the craft. It shouldn’t be too long before flights continue.”

Tasman District Police Sergeant Steve Savage says police are currently at the incident.

“It sounds like more of a rough landing classified as a crash, they have had some difficulties and just landed rough.”

Nelson Weekly/Nelson Live

13 January 2016

Airline Ratings rank best airlines in all classes

Air New Zealand ranked one of the best long-haul economy carriers in the world by AirlineRankings.com

A website that ranks airlines on their safety, comfort and luxury has named the best in long-haul economy, first class, business class and premium economy - with carriers from Oceania, the Middle East and Asia dominating.

Ranked alphabetically by website AirlineRatings.com, Air New Zealand was listed - as was Air France - in the Business Class and Premium Economy list.

Air New Zealand also took out a top ten spot for the best long-haul economy experience.

Top first class carriers included All Nippon Airways.

AirlineRankings.com deems first class to be the "ultimate in luxury and space."

"First class is essentially the same philosophy as business class but with more space, privacy, meal courses, the finest of champagnes, wine and liquors and you rarely have to see another passenger." the website wrote.

A picture shows the bar in the first class section on board an Airbus A380 passenger plane of Emirates Airline. Image: Reuters

Also making the list of luxury first class experience was Emirates, followed by Etihad Airways.

Air New Zealand did not make the first class rankings.

On another article, entitled: Editors favourites: Who we love to fly with and why there were glowing reports for Air New Zealand.

"This is one airline that hasn't forgotten where most of its passengers fly" one editor wrote.

"Who else serves their passengers fruit salad and scones with jam and cream for an afternoon tea snack? They are also the innovators of the popular and unique Skycouch – a section of the cabin in economy where seat groupings of three transform in to a couch giving passengers travelling together more options to lie flat or recline."

To read the full list visit AirlineRankings.com

Earlier version of this story did not clarify that the listings are in alphabetical order. 

 - Stuff

Air New Zealand makes list of 20 safest airlines for 2016

Air New Zealand has been named one of the world's safest airlines, according to AirlineRatings.com.

Air New Zealand has once again made the list of the top 20 safest airlines in the world.

The airline also featured on last year's list, which is compiled annually by AirlineRatings.com, an independent plane safety and product rating website.

Topping the list was Qantas, for the third year running, with the Australian carrier praised for its "extraordinary fatality-free record in the jet era".

The website provided safety ratings for 407 airlines, awarding them up to seven stars for safety. Of those surveyed, 148 were given the top seven-star safety ranking but almost 50 had just three stars or less, according to the Daily Telegraph.

READ MORE: * Air NZ in world's safest airlines * Airline Ratings rank best airlines in all classes

Here are the 20 airlines that made in the list in alphabetical order (bar Qantas, in the top spot):

1. Qantas 2. Air New Zealand 3. Alaska Airlines 4. All Nippon Airlines (ANA) 5. American Airlines 6. Cathay Pacific Airways 7. Emirates 8. Etihad Airways 9. EVA Air 10. Finnair 11. Hawaiian Airlines 12. Japan Airlines 13. KLM 14. Lufthansa 15. Scandinavian Airline System (SAS) 16. Singapore Airlines 17. Swiss 18. United Airlines 19. Virgin Atlantic 20. Virgin Australia

The safety ratings are based on a range of factors such as each airline's operational history, incident records and operational excellence.

AirlineRatings.com also identified the top 10 safest budget airlines, which have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

They are, in alphabetical order:

1. Aer Lingus 2. Flybe 3. HK Express 4. Jetblue 5. Jetstar Australia 6. Thomas Cook 7. TUI Fly 8. Virgin America 9. Volaris 10. Westjet

 - Stuff

Last updated 12:42, January 6 2016

Qantas flying high with forecast for record profit

 Qantas shareholders could be set for another windfall after the airline revealed it is on track for a record full-year profit, just two years after its biggest loss. The airline said yesterday it expects to more than double first-half pre-tax profit to between A$875 million ($931 million) and A$925 million when it announces its six-month results in February, not far off the A$975 million it made in the whole of the 2015 financial year.

Qantas, which lost a record A$2.8 billion in the previous financial year, said improved revenue, cost-cutting and continuing lower fuel prices were all playing a part in its turnaround.

The first half of the financial year is typically stronger for Qantas because it includes Christmas travel, and the second half features a drop in business travel during the holiday months of January and February.

But even allowing for the seasonal variation, analysts expect Qantas to report pre-tax profit of about A$1.6 billion for the 2016 financial year, comfortably beating its 2008 record of A$1.41 billion.

That puts it firmly in line to obliterate last year's A$557 million net profit and trump the all-time record A$970 million net profit it reported in 2008.

"We've seen improved revenue in our domestic and international operations, reduced costs across the group through the Qantas Transformation programme, and expect another record half-year result from Qantas Loyalty," chief executive Alan Joyce said.

"This strong performance is underpinned by our continued focus on delivering the best service for our customers in all of the markets we serve."

Most of the A$557 million full-year net profit announced in August was handed back to shareholders in the form of a A23c per share cash distribution, and Merrill Lynch analyst Matt Spence said he expects Qantas to announce a buyback of between A$500 million and A$800 million.

"Qantas has the cash to accommodate up to A$800 million," Mr Spence said.

"It will more be a question of how hard the company goes in actually executing the programme."

Qantas shares closed down A9c yesterday at A$3.69.

The positive forecast by Qantas includes the A$25 million hit its Jetstar service took because of cancellations after a cloud of volcanic ash twice forced the closure of Indonesia's Denpasar Airport in July.

Qantas bounced back into the black in FY15 thanks largely to a hedging programme that exploited falling fuel prices and a A$2 billion transformation programme that included 5000 job cuts.

The same factors are in play this year, and the airline is wringing extra capacity out of its fleet by reducing turnarounds for its workhorse Boeing 737s to as little as 35 minutes through new ground procedures.

The airline, which said it has also renewed its frequent-flyer participation in Woolworths' supermarket reward programme, reported yesterday that group domestic capacity for November was 0.9 per cent higher compared to the prior corresponding period.

Qantas quantified

• expected FY16 pre-tax profit: about A$1.6 billion • FY15 pre-tax profit: A$975 million • FY14 pre-tax loss: A$646 million • Record full year pre-tax profit: A$1.41 billion in 2008 • Record first half pre-tax profit: A$905 million in 2008.

- NZ Herald

5:00 AM Wednesday Dec 16, 2015

 Jetstar has cancelled Sydney to Queenstown and Queenstown to Auckland flights today. Photo / Getty Images

A Jetstar plane flying from Auckland en route to Sydney was struck by lightning today causing delays for passengers.

A Jetstar spokesperson said the flight landed as normal and there were no reports of injuries among passengers and crew.

The aircraft is out of service until full safety inspections have been completed, the spokesperson said.

The airline company has cancelled Sydney to Queenstown and Queenstown to Auckland flights today.

They will be placing passengers on services tomorrow.

The Jetstar spokesman said it wasn't uncommon for planes to be struck by lightning when flying through bad weather.

He said aircraft were designed to safely withstand lightning strikes.

It was earlier reported Sydney's desalination plant was damaged and three people were injured after a tornado tore through the city's south with winds of more than 200km/h.

Sydney Airport was closely monitoring the storm activity with passengers being advised to check flight details with their airlines, an airport spokeswoman said.

There would be some delays and diversions, Sydney Airport tweeted.

- NZ Herald

6:26 PM Wednesday Dec 16, 2015

Passengers terrified when Jetstar engine trouble caused 'shuddering', 'banging' in mid-air

Passengers on a Jetstar flight feared for their lives after the plane started shuddering, banging and sparking in mid-air.

Spark-like flashes of light, bangs and shudders forced a Jetstar plane to turn around shortly after take-off and land back at Auckland Airport.

An engine issue occurred just after take off on a flight from Auckland to Dunedin on Saturday afternoon, forcing the plane to turn around.

Passenger Tony Robinson said there were eight to nine orange flashes of light that looked like sparks, loud bangs, and the plane was shuddering.

"We were still ascending and it felt like the plane almost had a handbrake on. The whole plane was jerking and shuddering," he said.

It did this four or five times before it "had a little break" and did it again another five times.

"Some of the passengers were pushing the button calling crew to come and talk to them but they never turned up."

"It was a significant issue aboard the aircraft," he said.

Robinson said the plane plateaued, then turned around to land back at Auckland Airport. All up they were in the air for about 15 minutes.

"It crossed my mind, I thought what if the engine cuts out and we fall out of the sky. It wasn't a nice thought," he said.

Although the pilot talked to the passengers when the plane touched down, he said no announcements were made on board until the plane turned around forcing everyone to panic.

"There was fear, bewilderment. Everyone was wondering what was going on. They were all keen to get off the plane when it finally touched down."

A spokesman for Jetstar said the flight had to return to Auckland shortly after take off due to an issue with one of the engines.

"The captain elected to return to Auckland and had a normal landing. Engineers are currently examining the aircraft."

The passengers were accommodated on later services he said.

However, Robinson waited for more than 45 minutes after they touched down for some form of announcement, to no avail. He said he had to take matters into his own hands.

He had to get back to Dunedin that night and said he resorted to booking an Air New Zealand flight after he was told  at the customer service desk "It would be best if you made your own arrangements," he said.

A day later, he said he still hasn't heard from Jetstar about compensation for the flight or a refund.

"It'd be nice if they said Merry Christmas here you go, here's a free flight for the one that didn't get you there in the first place."

Returning Jetstar flights from Dunedin to Wellington were also cancelled.

 - Stuff

ERIN SPEEDY

Last updated 09:45, December 14 2015

New air services to boost tourism

New air services are expected to give New Zealand tourism a substantial lift this summer. Tourism Industry Association New Zealand chief executive Chris Roberts said this summer was likely to break tourism records.

"The industry has recorded 9 per cent growth in international visitor arrivals in the last 12 months, and the indications are that we will see that level of growth continue or even increase through the peak visitor season, especially with all the new air services coming into New Zealand."

He said Air New Zealand was starting regular services from Buenos Aires and Houston this month.

Philippines Air had started a service from Manila to Auckland. China Southern Airlines and China Airlines were starting new services into Christchurch, while China Eastern Airlines and Air China also had new services into Auckland.

"In addition, Jetstar's new regional services around New Zealand provide additional options for New Zealanders to travel around their own country.

"We are also looking forward to the first "Mondayisation" of Waitangi Day, giving New Zealanders an opportunity to enjoy another long weekend over summer, which is sure to see many people heading away from home for a few days.

"It's going to be a boomer."

Roberts said anyone planning a New Zealand holiday over the next few months should book early, as accommodation, flights and the most popular visitor activities would all be in great demand.

Northland is expecting a boost from Aucklanders and overseas tourists over the coming months.

Northland Inc general manager regional promotions, Paul Davis, said Northland guest nights were already up 6.1 per cent in the year to the the end of September compared to the same period last year.

"We've been in a growth pattern since late 2013 and we'd expect that growth to continue through the 2015-16 summer."

Auckland was Northland's largest market and the growth in Auckland's housing market was creating capital wealth.

"A lot of Aucklanders are feeling more wealthy and are more likely to spend some of that wealth on travel."

Additionally, more international visitors were coming to New Zealand for long holidays, allowing them more time to get to Northland.

Those visitors were coming from Australia, the UK, Germany, USA and Canada, said Davis.

Davis said Northland hosted many events over summer designed to give visitors things to do. Waitangi Day also always brought a lot of visitors to Northland.

The long, hot summer forecast would also help visitor numbers, he said.

Tourism Bay of Plenty assistant marketing and communications manager Abby Hadfield said events had ben planned to draw more tourists to the region.

This included Dave Dobbyn at On the Lawn in January and Trinity Roots, headlining this summer's New Year's Eve Celebrations at Mount Maunganui.

Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said new Jetstar flights between Auckland and Napier would undoubtedly add to the summer tourism scene.

Increased air capacity drove visitor numbers and she expected the new Jetstar flights would attract the same types of visitors who travelled on Air New Zealand.

The Jetstar schedule is expected to expand from three to four return services a day from February 1.

"That's an extra hundred passengers every day coming in, so it definitely will have an impact," said Dundas.

In Whanganui, the iSite information centre was getting busier every day, according to Whanganui & Partners promotion and marketing manager for Visit Whanganui, Lyn Cheyne.

More campervans were being seen in and around town, which was promising for the start of the tourist season.

Destination Wairarapa general manager David Hancock said it could also be another record-breaking year for summer tourism in the Wairarapa.

"Last summer set new records for credit card use by visitors to the region. Already we have reports from tourism operators talking about excellent forward bookings into February," he said.

- NZME.

11:28 AM Friday Dec 11, 2015

Kim Fulton

Kim Fulton is a NZME. News Service regional reporter

Harry Denton breaks world record for longest wheelie

https://assets.stuff.co.nz/video/production/1449636668077-harry%20record%20manual.mp4 A small crowd of keyed-up family members and friends were at Nelson Airport on Wednesday afternoon to see Harry Denton try to make history.  He didn't disappoint.

The Nelson 16-year-old didn't just beat the world record for the longest "manual", he obliterated it.

A "manual" is a bicycle stunt in which the rider balances on his back wheel without pedalling.  The record, set in 2011 by American Zachary Hutelin, was 209.2 metres. It's now 334m.

MARTIN DE RUYTER/Fairfax NZ

Harry Denton of Nelson set a new "manual" record of 334 metres using a taxiway at Nelson Airport.

Denton easily beat the record on his first attempt, achieving a measured 277m. His second go was even more impressive - so good, in fact, that he ran out of straight airport taxiway and finished on a curve.

READ MORE: Teenaged rider quietly confident of record

Aided by a stiff tail wind - permitted by Guinness World Records - the Nelson College student used his specially adapted jump bike to reach around 50kmh before lifting his front wheel and coasting the record distance.

The training paid off for 16-year-old Harry Denton who has broken the world record for the longest wheelie.

Surveyor Andrew Stanger had previously measured the course and was on hand to confirm the distances Denton covered, his announcements greeted with whoops, cheers and applause by the crowd.

Among those looking on were Denton's father Steve and mother Althea Denton, who both said beforehand they believed their son would make it.

His mother said Harry had "taken his training wheels off at about three".

"He's got to have wheels under him," she said, correctly predicting that her boy would "smash" the record.

His father was less direct but said some trial runs on Akersten St at Port Nelson combined with simple mathematics had shown that if Harry reached 45-46kmh in the run-up to the point where he lifted the front wheel, "he'll get to the 210 metres".

Harry said beforehand that he was quietly confident, but his support crew and family noticed how nervous he was as he headed for the start line.

No need. Filmed for YouTube by Nelson company Sherlock Vision's drone and with GoPro action cameras fixed to his bike, he made it look easy.

Afterwards, an elated Harry said he was "real happy" with his performance and thankful for all the volunteer support and sponsorship he'd received.

He said he'd spent the whole morning "pacing around home" with how it would work out going through his mind. He had been mainly concerned that the wind would be from the wrong direction.

"But it's worked out perfectly - a really consistent strong wind pushed me through."

He was hoping that the online coverage would bring him some attention and sponsorship for a career in biking, he said.

"That's always been my dream since I was a kid."

Several months had gone into the planning and organising of the record attempt, including getting the nod from Guinness World Records to go ahead.

Use of the airport's flat, smooth and straight northern taxiway was a key element and had to be coordinated with aircraft movements.  Harry said he was particularly grateful to the airport company for working with him.

Airport operations manager James Middlewick said the company had been impressed by Harry's energy and drive, and wanted to help him out.

"There was a lot of good work from the airport fire service and the air traffic controllers as well."

 - Stuff.co.nz

BILL MOORE

Last updated 08:30, December 10 2015

A quick stint in Auckland testing Jetstar's new Waiheke destination

It seems Jeremy Clarkson and I have a difference of opinion: he thinks Waiheke isn't worth the trip, I do.

I was lucky enough to head out to the island last week, a bit of a change of scenery from the usual rostered day off - but it's not every day we get a new airline flying to Auckland.

READ MORE: Clarkson tells tourists to skip Waiheke

 On Tuesday last week it wasn't hard to miss something going on at Nelson Airport. There were orange balloons, orange bags, mini orange jetplane lollies, orange t-shirts, orange signs, cake with orange icing...Jetstar had arrived.

Crowds of people were gathered in the lone terminal, the mayor was there, the archdeacon was, TV3 was there - I got my 10 seconds of television fame - it was the place to be.

On Tuesday last week it wasn't hard to miss something going on at Nelson Airport. There were orange balloons, orange bags, mini orange jetplane lollies, orange t-shirts, orange signs, cake with orange icing...Jetstar had arrived.

Crowds of people were gathered in the lone terminal, the mayor was there, the archdeacon was, TV3 was there - I got my 10 seconds of television fame - it was the place to be.

People were even singing Edelweiss as we lined up to board the plane - I'm still questioning the relevance of that one - and off we went, albeit slightly delayed by the weather.

The flight was full, a Q300 of around 50 people, and it was jovial. I guess people had lucked out on the $9 starter fares.

The slightly nervous flight attendant got us into New Zealand's very own sky-scrapered, bustling, over-price-propertied metropolis, with a muffin and a drink for those who had preordered.

An hour of traffic and $90 later I got to the hotel jumped on the bed and switched on the TV - but even Road Cops couldn't keep me from seeing a Christmas coloured Sky Tower.

Walking up Queen St and around the viaduct is always a highlight of Auckland. So many people and so much life in the evenings.

The next day I was out to Waiheke.

The sky was grey, the wind was up, and I braved sitting on the outside top of the ferry, alone, to watch the city get smaller and smaller. Slightly salty and very windswept I wandered around Waiheke, worked up a sticky sheen in the warmth and got lunch.

Even on an overcast Wednesday afternoon for just a couple of hours, Waiheke Island feels like a holiday. It's like a weekend in Golden Bay, but without half a dozen fresh fruit frozen yoghurts on the way. The sea, the tie-dye prints, the slow pace and chatty tourists.

And then with a look at my watch it was back to Auckland, the airport - this time in an Uber - and home to the prettiest landing the country has to offer (in my opinion).

With the number of flights Jetstar and other new airlines will be seeing into Nelson, I'm sure that opinion will start to become more widely shared.

The writer travelled courtesy of Jetstar.

 - Stuff

ANNA BRADLEY-SMITH

Last updated 13:45, December 9 2015

Jetstar pilot break appeal rejected by Supreme Court

Jetstar pilots will seek tens of thousands of dollars in compensation from the budget airline for years of missed breaks. Jetstar pilot Richard Greenslade won a Employment Court decision against Jetstar in 2014 over entitlement of meal and rest breaks, but the Qantas subsidiary appealed the ruling.

The Court of Appeal ruled in September that Jetstar had failed to provide its pilots with mandatory rest and meal breaks as required under the Employment Relations Act (ERA).

READ MORE: Pilots ask Jetstar for lunch break compensation

After reviewing the Court of Appeal's decision Jetstar sought leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court on Friday declined leave to appeal and ordered Jetstar to pay $2500 reparation to Greenslade.

The New Zealand Airline Pilots Association (NZALPA) acting president Tim Robinson said Jetstar pilots would ask the budget airline for compensation following years of missed breaks.

He would not disclose how much compensation was being sought but it would be "tens of thousands" of dollars, he said.

NZALPA represented 79 Jetstar pilots from the airline's jet aircraft division, he said.

If a compensation agreement was not reached Jetstar pilots could take the airline to the Employment Court, he said.

"Hopefully they'll see the light and talk seriously about compensation," Robinson said.

Jetstar spokesman Phil Boeyen said it was in the process of reviewing the judgement and considering the impact of the decision.

 - Stuff

JOHN ANTHONY

Last updated 13:32, December 7 2015

Airport managers warn against overreaction to airport security

Radio Live

Jetstar procedures under investigation after planes took off too heavy

Jetstar's procedures for calculating the weight of its aircraft are under review by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau after two of its planes took off with more passengers than had been expected by the pilots in October. On October 29, the pilot flying a Jetstar plane from Melbourne to Perth noticed the aircraft was nose-heavy as it was taking off and was forced to pull back on the controls nearly to the limits in order to raise the aircraft's nose.

Once the A321 was airborne, the pilots asked the cabin crew to confirm the passenger numbers and seating locations. The updated information was entered into the computer and the pilots found the aircraft was outside the loading limits for take-off and landing. Passengers were then moved to other seats throughout the cabin to return the aircraft to within the allowable limits for the remainder of the flight and the landing.

READ MORE Schoolkids tip balance of Qantas plane

Just 10 days earlier, an A320 flight from Brisbane to Melbourne took off with 16 more passengers than had been advised to the pilots, with the aircraft about 1328 kilograms heavier than the take-off weight used to calculate take-off and landing data for the flight. The landing data was recalculated prior to the descent in Melbourne.

The ATSB has deemed the incidents "serious", although there were no injuries in either case. It has begun an investigation that will include interviews with the flight and ground operations crews, a review of Jetstar's internal procedures regarding aircraft loading and a review of preventative and recovery-type risk controls for aircraft loading.

The full investigation is not expected to be completed until October 2016. Comment is being sought from Jetstar and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Calculating the correct weight of an aircraft is a very important safety issue as incorrect inputs can lead to problems in the pilot's ability to control the aircraft.

In 2003, an Air Midwest Beechcraft 1900D crashed in the US in part due to higher than expected weight on take-off, although an issue with the plane's control cables was also contributing factor. All 21 passengers and crew on board died in the crash.

Last month, the ATSB issued a final report into an incident at Jetstar's parent, Qantas, that also involved an incorrect take-off weight being entered, in that case on a Boeing 737 flying from Sydney to Darwin.

Data entry errors by the pilots led to the take-off weight imputed into the computer being 10 tonnes lower than the actual weight. That resulted in the take-off speed and engine thrust settings being too low and the aircraft contacting the runway briefly in a "tail strike" incident.

 - Sydney Morning Herald

JAMIE FREED

Last updated 11:52, December 4 2015

Kiwi announces new direct air services from Nelson to Tauranga and Dunedin

Kiwi Regional Airlines has announced a new twice-weekly return connection for Tasman region residents to Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty region, with an additional Tuesday service to Dunedin to boost the current four return flights per week.  From 15th February, Kiwi will fly on a Tuesday and Saturday mid morning to Tauranga, returning early afternoon. 

At the same time an extra Tuesday connection with Dunedin will start, bringing to five the number of return flights per week with that city.

Tickets from Nelson-Tauranga will be priced competitively, starting from $99 one-way, as will tickets for the Nelson-Dunedin and existing Nelson-Hamilton services.

Bookings for the flights are open now.

Kiwi CEO Ewan Wilson said "the airline's first month of operation has taught us a lot about regional New Zealand's travel preferences."

"There is a high proportion of our passengers 'visiting family and friends' , and with the Bay of Plenty's population around the quarter million mark, there are a lot of family connections between Nelson and that region."

"Residents from Nelson and the surrounding region have proved to have a good appetite for affordable travel direct to other regions."

"Avoiding the expensive and tiring bottlenecks at Wellington airport have been a big factor in Nelsonian's decisions to travel with us," he said.

Mr Wilson said his airline's executive "had considered other North Island connections such as Hawkes Bay and Taranaki, but a combination of lack of facilities and the high Bay of Plenty potential had tipped the balance Tauranga's way."

"We will be looking elsewhere in future, but right now our hands are full with our successful Dunedin-Nelson-Hamilton flights, with the Tauranga connection only two months away."

Ewan Wilson CEO Kiwi Regional Airlines

Air New Zealand named airline of the year for the third year running

New Zealand has taken out the title of airline of the year for the third year running, as voted by airline safety and product rating review website AirlineRatings.com. The website praised Air New Zealand for its "products, environmental commitment, innovation and internal culture".

READ MORE: * Air New Zealand takes off for Buenos Aires * Air NZ named Australasia's top airline  * Air New Zealand rated world's top airline * Air NZ in world's safest airlines * Air New Zealand's premium economy wins big at 2015 World Airline Awards

AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas said the airline was a global trendsetter.

"Given Air New Zealand's location and the country's size, its performance is stunning."

Air New Zealand was also awarded the best premium economy and best economy titles.

New Zealand has taken out the title of airline of the year for the third year running, as voted by airline safety and product rating review website AirlineRatings.com.

The website praised Air New Zealand for its "products, environmental commitment, innovation and internal culture".

Air New Zealand chief executive officer Christopher Luxon said the awards were a reflection of the hard work put in by the airline's more than 11,000 staff around the world.

"It's an honour to be named airline of the year again and the timing couldn't be better with the awards coming at the same time Air New Zealand celebrates its inaugural flight to Buenos Aires Argentina, one of four new international destinations the airline is launching this year."

Air New Zealand began operating a Singapore route in January and its new direct service to Houston begins on December 15.

Both Air New Zealand and Air China will celebrate their new alliance service to Beijing on December 10.

AirlineRatings.com rates more than 435 airlines around the globe to determine its award winners.

To gain a top ten position, airlines must have achieved a seven star safety rating and demonstrate clear leadership in innovation for passenger comfort.

Top 10 airlines for 2016:

1. Air New Zealand

2. Qantas

3. Etihad

4. Cathay Pacific

5. Singapore Airlines

6. Emirates

7. EVA Air

8. Virgin Atlantic /Virgin Australia

9. All Nippon Airways

10. Lufthansa

Do you agree with the rankings? Let us know in the comments.

 - Stuff

Last updated 10:06, December 2 2015

Flights delayed at Nelson Airport due to bad weather conditions

Flights are grounded in Nelson due to bad weather. Nelson Airport operations manager James Middlewick said low cloud was preventing aircrafts from making a full landing in Nelson.

"Although the airport is always open, it's the airlines that make the decision whether to fly or not."

He said it was likely the weather, and the groundings, would continue for a while longer.

Stuff

Last updated 13:32, December 2 2015

Air New Zealand cops flak for poking fun at Jetstar

Air New Zealand has sent itself to the naughty corner after poking fun at rival Australian airline Jetstar. On the same day Jetstar's first new regional routes took off Air New Zealand launched an attack on the low cost carrier with a snarky newspaper advertisement.

The advert, which appears in The Dominion Post and the New Zealand Herald, quotes Jetstar's claim to being "New Zealand's most punctual domestic airline", alongside a photo of a Jetstar plane with a Pinocchio-like nose.

READ MORE:

* Jetstar's Napier to Auckland regional flight a first for low cost carrier

* New era of cheaper airfares may be here for good

* Air NZ joins $9 price war, Jetstar announces new NZ routes

Air New Zealand also posted the image to its Facebook page, along with the caption: "When is it OK to be fashionably late?"

 Facebook users took exception to the advertisement with some calling it "black marketing", "not classy" and "hypocritical".

Air New Zealand responded to the negative feedback by posting a picture of a sad kiwi bird standing in a corner with the words "Whoops! We were just poking a bit of fun at our big Aussie cousins. #naughtycorner".

Marketing expert Brandon Wilcox of Evolve Marketing said Air New Zealand was engaging in negative advertising instead of getting on with the business of competing with Jetstar, which could backfire on it.

"Kiwis will be loyal to their own, which is Air New Zealand, but also support the underdog which in this case is Jetstar," Wilcox said.

Air New Zealand was at risk of be perceived as having "sour grapes" for Jetstar entering its turf, he said.

"It's a very dangerous game."

Asked whether Jetstar would engage in Air New Zealand's name calling tactics Jetstar head of New Zealand Grant Kerr said it was business as usual for the low cost carrier.

"It looks like we've got up their nose," Kerr said.

While another spokesman added: "Air NZ has finally dropped their fares on regional routes and now they are promoting our regional airline, although they haven't got their facts right. It's amazing what a little competition will do.

"We're very proud of our focus on punctuality and report our results transparently each month on our website, which Air NZ has stopped doing."

Jetstar says performance figures showed its flights were the most on-time of the two major carriers in nine out of 12 months last year.

The figures compared jet services and measured flights departing within 10 minutes of schedule between January and June 2014 and within 15 minutes of schedule between July and December 2014.

But the validity of the comparison has been questioned, as Air New Zealand operates a larger fleet and more domestic flights than Jetstar.

A spokeswoman for Air New Zealand said more recent statistics showed the airline operated the most reliable domestic jet service in New Zealand, outperforming Jetstar's on-time performance seven out of 10 months in the calendar year to October.

Air New Zealand published its statistics on its website quarterly to reflect the overall trend that was most relevant and helpful to customers, she said.

Competition between the airlines has been hotting up since Jetstar announced in June it would expand its network to Nelson, Napier, Palmerston North and New Plymouth using a fleet of five 50-seat Bombardier Q300 turbo-prop aircraft.

When tickets first went on sale a price war broke out between the two, with regional airfares selling for as low as $9.

Jetstar launched its first flight from Napier to Auckland on Tuesday morning, departing three minutes ahead of schedule, according to a Jetstar spokesman.

Jetstar CEO David Hall said demand for the new regional services had exceeded expectations, with nearly 3500 customers booked on the first week and average loads of more than 85 per cent.

Last month Air New Zealand announced it would purchase 15 new ATR72-600 aircraft to operate its regional services, four of which would allow for further growth on regional routes and 11 to replace its ATR72-500 fleet.

 - Stuff

SIOBHAN DOWNES AND JOHN ANTHONY

Last updated 14:33, December 1 2015

The big airline shake-up: Five reasons why Jetstar's new services are a revolution

Jetstar's regional flights starting this week are a big shake-up. Photo / Dean Purcell Jetstar is tomorrow morning launching Napier-Auckland-Nelson flights and services to New Plymouth and Palmerston North will follow next year. Aviation reporter Grant Bradley explains why it's one of the biggest shake-ups to domestic aviation in a decade.

1. There's a price war Regional fliers have never had it so good. Jetstar launched with thousands of fares launched at $9 and says that thousands more have been sold for under $50. Incumbent Air New Zealand responded immediately with cut price fares and the timing of the announcement earlier this month on bringing in new aircraft to serve provincial towns - with the promise of even more pressure to keep fares down - was not coincidental.

2. There's an airline war Air New Zealand doesn't break out the contribution that regional routes make to its bottom line but its competitive response is a sign it's up for a fight. As chief executive Christopher Luxon says, New Zealand doesn't lose to Australia at home. But Jetstar is not going away. Tomorrow marks a decade of flying in this country, it started with Christchurch to Sydney flights, and its domestic jet operation is now making money and parent company Qantas is now firmly back in the black.

3. There's a whiff of revenge Qantas has been hurt by the attack of Virgin Australia, 26 per cent owned by Air New Zealand, on its lucrative domestic home turf. While there's a capacity truce the damage has been done.

Launching into Air New Zealand's regional patch gives Qantas the chance to turn up the heat here. Jetstar says it will.

4. It should be different this time Jetstar's launch into the domestic market flying main trunk routes seven years ago was marred by delays. It had a schedule that was too ambitious and included weather-sensitive Queenstown and it took a long time to shake off the image of being late. Jetstar has a fleet of five 50-seat Bombardier Q300 aircraft to fly here, with one being largely spare. It is also stationing staff overnight in centres it is flying from to ensure it can fly the first service of the day.

5. There's a political dividend Prime Minister and Tourism Minister John Key had a dig at Air New Zealand over regional air fares before the 2014 election and an airline review led to lower overall fares, and to some services being cut, and a new focus by the national carrier on its regional operation. Mission accomplished for Key who was also happy to lend his blessing to Jetstar's regional launch where he said those outside the main centres would be openly cheering. Mayors who have long felt aggrieved by Air New Zealand's service are very happy.

- NZ Herald

Grant Bradley

Aviation, tourism and energy writer for the Business Herald

1:34 PM Monday Nov 30, 2015

Jetstar touches down in Nelson a little late

Jetstar's first flight into Nelson was a little late but was met with a rousing welcome. The flight from Auckland touched down on Tuesday afternoon about 20 minutes late because of weather conditions.

Jetstar's New Zealand corporate communications manager Phil Boeyen said the flight was "fantastic".

"[There were] wonderful people on board, everyone had some great bargains, [there were] people who had scored $9 flights."

The flight was welcomed by Mayor Rachel Reese, Archdeacon Andy Joseph and Broadgreen Intermediate School's kapa haka group.

Boeyen said the school's welcome was brilliant.

"The roof soared off... It was a really fantastic welcome to Nelson."

The airline will fly return flights three times a day between Nelson and Auckland, expanding to four times a day from February 1. Return flights from Nelson to Wellington will also commence in February.

Nelson was chosen as a destination after Jetstar ran a social media campaign to determine support. The other locations are New Plymouth, Napier and Palmerston North.

Passenger Annemie Dupont from Belgium, who was in Nelson for paragliding and walking the Abel Tasman Track, said the flight was good.

Stuff

Last updated 08:30, December 2 2015