Air New Zealand Regional Lounges go gourmet
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says these changes are another way the airline is adding value for its customers.
"One of our most common pieces of regional lounge feedback is that our food offering isn't the same as what's enjoyed in our larger ports. That's all about to change as we continue to look at how we can improve the Air New Zealand experience.
"Dunedin's regional lounge was the first cab off the rank last week, delighting customers with new choices before they flew."
On the menu was ginger soy chicken with capsicum and spring onion, and a vegan option of sweet and sour tofu with edamame and sesame. Dessert was a homemade chocolate gateau served with whipped cream. And customers shouldn't worry, the crowd favourite cheese rolls are here to stay!
"While it's only been live for a few days, the feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive – our customers using the Dunedin lounge last week got a real surprise when they walked in to see the new menu on offer."
The airline will be rolling out to Nelson later this week followed by Napier and expects to have the remaining five regional lounges up and running on the new menu in the New Year.
"In the past we haven't been able to do this because our smaller regional ports don't have kitchen facilities - only basic storage and reheating. To work around this, we've collaborated with our expert chefs in Wellington who prepare the food and we then use our cargo network to get the kai into the regional lounges just in time for the first flights out."
The new regional lounge menu will feature a choice of two hot dishes – one of which will always be vegan, and both gluten free.
"We're expecting favourites to likely be the black pepper braised lamb shoulder with baby carrots, cauliflower gratin, morello cherry tart with vanilla cream and fresh seasonal salads like beetroot and spinach, and broccoli and cranberry."
The always popular Christmas menu will also be appearing across all our lounges between 19-25 December, including in our regional ports. This includes glazed ham, steamed asparagus, mini pavlovas with seasonal fruit, strawberries and cream and of course a Christmas mince pie to enjoy with your tea or coffee.
Last year the airline finished its $150 million Lounge rebrand programme, upgrading all nine of its regional lounges, including Queenstown. This included a rename to the Air New Zealand lounge.
Ends
Issued by Air New Zealand Communications
Email: media@airnz.co.nz │Phone: +64 21 747 320│Twitter: @AirNZMedia
About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 98 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 6.7 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. This year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.
Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Airpoints, Air New Zealand's loyalty programme, is seen as the most valuable loyalty programme in New Zealand with 3.5 million members. It allows members to earn Airpoints Dollars™ and Status Points for VIP benefits in the air and on the ground. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.
About Star Alliance
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 recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.