It's Aotearoa on a plate – Air New Zealand unveils new menu
The airline is unveiling its new Business Premier menu, which showcases the best of Aotearoa on a plate, including local ingredients like Southland Lamb Prosciutto, Hawke's Bay extra virgin olive oil and mānuka smoked free-range chicken from the Waikato.
Last week, Air New Zealand customers flying to and from Rarotonga were given a first taste of the Business Premier menu, which will be officially launched and rolled out on all long-haul routes from October.
To welcome customers to their dining experience, the airline has also introduced an amuse bouche to be served after take-off.
The airline's talented culinary team has put together these bite-sized morsels to hero local ingredients and as a token of gratitude to those flying with us. Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Leeanne Langridge says "We all know how important food is when travelling and what a difference it makes to our customers to be served a tasty meal full of fresh, local produce while on their journey.
"Our inflight meals showcase the best of New Zealand produce to the world, and also gives our Kiwi customers a taste of home from the moment they are welcomed onboard.
"Through customer research we found our Premium customers wanted more choice in the air, so we've added a build your own component to the main meal service. Customers can add the likes of seared Salmon from Marlborough, free-range chicken from Waikato or bacon for greater protein, or streamed green vegetables or fresh, crisp salads picked straight from orchards and fields in Gisborne, Waikato or the Manawatū."
Many of the meals like the artisan pasta bowl and superfood salad are also vegetarian, giving our customers plenty of meat-free options. There's a huge amount the airline must consider when it comes to creating a tasty dining experience in the air.
"Meals have to meet certain requirements for heating and assembling onboard, and at altitude in the drier aircraft environment, taste buds are suppressed by around 30% so we need to ensure all our food components are full of flavour!"
Air New Zealand works with many well-known local suppliers when it comes to creating its menu. To keep up with changing food trends, the airline switches up the menu three times a year on long-haul flights, with more frequent changes for its Australia and Pacific Island routes.
Air New Zealand will be refreshing its Premium Economy and Economy offering at the same time. Sustainability has been at the forefront of developing the new menu, and the airline will also be rolling out new sustainable serviceware in all cabins, helping to reduce weight and single-use plastic on the aircraft. The new serviceware in the Premium cabins can reduce weight on an aircraft by around 20 per cent, and switching to a more sustainable serviceware option in the Economy cabin could also remove some 28 million single-use plastic dishes and knives, forks and spoons from inflight every year.
"This is another step towards our sustainability goals. We have been on a journey towards reducing the impact of our serviceware on the environment and the beautiful country we call home, by moving away from single-use plastics to more sustainable options."
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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 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.