Air New Zealand Skynest™ takes out top global awards
The Crystal Cabin Award is the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation with Air New Zealand winning the Innovative Cabin Concept category.
Air New Zealand Head of Aircraft Programmes Kerry Reeves was in Hamburg to accept the award on behalf of the airline.
"It's an incredibly proud moment for us to receive this award. Air New Zealanders come to work everyday and challenge each other to think differently and the Skynest™ is a perfect example of this mindset in action.
"On the scale of airlines around the world we're a small player – so innovating, listening to our customers and producing products that push the boundaries is how we stand out and compete on a global scale.
"The development of the Skynest™ has been a labour of love. As it's a world-first there are plenty of hoops we need to jump through and problems we need to solve, but the popularity and excitement around it coming to market is what keeps us going.
"We can't wait for our customers to experience it in action in September 2024 when we welcome the first of our new 787-9 into Aotearoa."
Air New Zealand also picked up the Onboard Hospitality Cabin Concept of the Year Award for its innovative FACE programme (Future Aircraft Cabin Experience). The award looks at the very best in cabin-wide innovation from airlines around the globe, with the airline taking out the award for redefining the future of its onboard customer experience with a focus on the future and its 'Manaaki – taking care further' brand promise.
The airline is no stranger to the Crystal Cabin Awards, winning the Greener Cabin, Health, Safety and Environment category in 2019 for the Economy Skycouch™.
More information on Air New Zealand's future cabins can be found here and Skynest can be found here.
Imagery and video footage can be found here.
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Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.
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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 104 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 7.3 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. Last 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. 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.