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 embarking on a groundbreaking retrofit of its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, marking a world-first nose-to-tail upgrade. The first of 14 aircraft, registered as ZK-NZH, recently arrived in Singapore, where ST Engineering, the airline’s maintenance partner, will strip out and install new interiors. The revamp includes enhanced Economy and Premium Economy seats, the redesigned Business Premier cabin, and the new Business Premier Luxe™ product. This retrofit program will roll out over the next two years, with the first updated aircraft returning in early 2025.
The cabin overhaul will introduce features such as new seats across all classes, an upgraded inflight entertainment system, refreshed lavatories, and a new Sky Pantry in the Economy cabin. Once completed, the updated layout will provide 272 seats per aircraft, including 4 Business Premier Luxe seats, 22 Business Premier seats, 33 Premium Economy seats, and 213 Economy seats, 13 of which will feature the Economy Skycouch™. Air New Zealand’s phased approach ensures no disruption to current flight schedules, with each aircraft returning to service promptly after refurbishment.
Sounds Air has announced it will discontinue its Wellington-Westport route on 31st December, but Nelson-based Originair will step in to cover the service. However, Originair will operate six flights per week on the route, compared to the 15 currently flown by Sounds Air. Originair will utilise the 18-seat British Aerospace Jetstream aircraft, while Sounds Air primarily operated the PC12, which accommodates nine passengers.
Air New Zealand will adjust four domestic routes between January and February 2025, with some experiencing reduced capacity. The Queenstown-Christchurch route will now operate on an ATR with reduced seats, but Queenstown-Auckland will gain two extra flights weekly. Dunedin-Wellington’s morning and evening flights will switch to ATRs, reducing capacity, while Blenheim-Wellington’s first flight will depart slightly later without affecting capacity. Christchurch-New Plymouth will see three fewer flights per week, cutting early morning and late evening trips.
Additionally, Air New Zealand will discontinue its direct Wellington-Invercargill service as of January 19, 2025. Final direct flights will operate on January 17 (Wellington-Invercargill) and January 18 (Invercargill-Wellington). Travelers booked on direct flights after January 19 will be re-routed through Christchurch, with added flights between Christchurch and Invercargill to maintain connectivity. For questions or changes, please contact our Consultants directly.
Air New Zealand has revised its Change and Excess Baggage fees for customers departing from New Zealand. The prepaid excess baggage fees are now $45 per bag for domestic flights, $95 per bag for flights to Australia and the Pacific Islands (excluding Perth, Honolulu, and Bali), and $160 per bag for flights to other international destinations. For passengers purchasing excess baggage at the airport on the day of travel, the charges will be $60 per bag for domestic flights, $115 for flights to Australia and the Pacific Islands (excluding Perth, Honolulu, and Bali), and $195 for other international flights. Additionally, if a bag exceeds 23kg but weighs less than 32kg, or is oversized, an extra fee of $40, $80, or $120 will apply, depending on the destination.
Qantas has unveiled plans to expand its international network with new aircraft and schedule adjustments aimed at optimizing fleet usage and meeting rising demand in key markets across the Asia Pacific and the US. Starting in February, Qantas will add approximately 220,000 seats to its international routes over the next 12 months compared to its current schedule. Key updates include a new Brisbane-Palau route, the return of two A380s to service, and the introduction of more A220 aircraft for QantasLink. For New Zealand travellers, the changes feature new Boeing 787 flights on the Brisbane-Auckland route, increasing premium seat capacity on the route by 40% annually from 11th August. However, the frequency of the Auckland-New York service will decrease from six to five flights per week from 06th February.
United Airlines has unveiled the largest international expansion in its history, with new services to eight cities starting in May 2025. The airline will launch nonstop flights from Newark/New York to Nuuk, Palermo, Bilbao, and Madeira Island, as well as Faro. Additionally, three new nonstop routes will be introduced from Washington D.C./Dulles to Dakar, Nice, and Venice. United will also increase the number of weekly flights from Newark to Palma de Mallorca, Dubrovnik, and Athens, and add direct flights from Tokyo-Narita to Ulaanbaatar, Kaohsiung, and a new nonstop service to Koror.
As part of digitising our border, New Zealand Customs Service had planned to remove paper New Zealand Traveller Declaration forms from on board planes, from October 2024. The implementation will be deferred to the first quarter of 2025. To save time on arrival, travellers are recommended to complete a digital declaration before their flight. For more information, click here.
