At Orbit World Travel, we strive to stay up to date with the latest news from airlines and airports around the world. View a small section of the latest updates below.
Air New Zealand is changing the way they charge credit card payment fees. The new fees will be applied as a percentage as opposed to the flat fee they currently charge:
New Payment FeesThe new fees are effective from 21 January 2025.
Please do not hesitate to contact your Orbit travel consultant if you have any questions
Air New Zealand has enabled Apple’s Find My Share Item Location feature, which means travellers who place an AirTag or other Find My network accessory in their bag can use the Find My app to generate and share a live location link with NZ’s customer service team, so the airline can also track any lost baggage. This initiative builds on the airline’s ongoing efforts to make travel as stressfree as possible for its customers, following on from the airline’s own baggage tracking feature going live last September. Passengers can use Airpoints to purchase an Airtag from the Airpoints Store as well.
On 18 December 2024, Air New Zealand announced its largest purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to date, securing more than 30 million litres to be uplifted from Los Angeles and San Francisco through to February 2026.
This volume of SAF will deliver up to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions across its lifecycle compared with jet fuel made from fossil fuels. This SAF is manufactured by Neste in Singapore from 100% renewable waste and residue raw materials such as animal fat waste and used cooking oil.
Qantas to launch SYD-CTS
Qantas has announced direct seasonal flights from Sydney to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, providing the only nonstop connection between the two cities and catering to the growing demand for travel to Japan’s snowfields. Services will operate three times per week from 15th December 2025 to 28th March 2026, with the airline’s Airbus A330-200 aircraft and offer more than 20,000 seats on the route across the northern ski season.
Everyday Rewards – Qantas Points
Be rewarded with 1,500 Qantas Points every time your Everyday Rewards points balance reaches 2,000. Your points can be used for a range of rewards including luxurious flight upgrades, booking holidays, thousands of products on the Qantas Marketplace and more.
Air Chathams is removing its scheduled Auckland to Norfolk Island services from April due to rising costs and competition with other nearby South Pacific destinations.
Fiji Airways has two new ATR 72- 600 aircraft in its fleet, strengthening its network and providing enhanced connectivity across Fiji and the South Pacific. The first of these new ATRs arrived on 29th December 2024, while the second followed on 05th January 2025. This expansion supports Fiji Airways’ ongoing efforts to improve domestic capacity and better serve regional communities, particularly in Northern Fiji.
Fiji Airways has two new ATR 72- 600 aircraft in its fleet, strengthening its network and providing enhanced connectivity across Fiji and the South Pacific. The first of these new ATRs arrived on 29th December 2024, while the second followed on 05th January 2025. This expansion supports Fiji Airways’ ongoing efforts to improve domestic capacity and better serve regional communities, particularly in Northern Fiji.
Korean Air has added an additional flight between Auckland and Seoul, with the carrier to operate four weekly flights instead of three 06th July – 25th October. The additional KE411 ICNAKL flight will take place on a Sunday, with the return KE412 AKL-ICN on a Monday
