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Air New Zealand has taken out one of the top prizes at a worldwide design award.
Running since 2012, TheDesignAir awards honour airlines which excel at design, product and brand.
The national carrier was named the best in Oceania.
Jonny Clark, founder of TheDesignAir, called the award “well deserved”.
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“With the announcement of a new cabin product in the coming years, a strong bold brand, its clever use of safety videos as a marketing device and brand partnerships with excellent design leaders, the carrier oozes design details across the passenger experience,” said Clark.
“We’re thrilled to see the carrier continue to evolve its passenger experience, invest in new products, and continue to be the brand platform for Aotearoan design on the international stage.”
Earlier this year the airline unveiled its new future cabins and a date for the long-awaited Skynest sleep pod.
The new cabins have been five years in the making and include new features in economy, a new business premier luxe suite with sliding door, a tweaked colour scheme inspired by the colours of the tūī and new fabrics to replace the leather seats, which will shave 1kg off the weight of each premium seat.
However, the new design won’t be rolled out until 2024, when the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners arrive. That’s when the innovative sleep pod Skynest will also arrive as an add-on for economy passengers, which will be able to sleep up to six travellers for four hours at a time.
Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said there has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
“In Premium cabins, we switched to serviceware that is 20% lighter, helping to reduce carbon emissions, and in Economy, introduced new serviceware that will reduce plastic dishes used inflight by 28 million every year,” said Geraghty.
The airline had prioritised sleep, comfort and wellness on long-haul services.
Elsewhere at the awards, new Asian airline Starlux was crowned the overall winner.
The Taiwanese international carrier had a “beautifully elevated customer experience, interiors programme and ground product”.
”This might just be the beginning chapter for Starlux, but we look forward to seeing this carrier make waves for years to come.”
The eye-popping livery of German charter airline, Condor was also honoured. It also picked up the most improved airline brand.
American airline WestJet won the best uniform category for its “gender and body inclusive” outfits.
”They are genderless, providing the opportunity for WestJetters to select the uniform that is most authentic and comfortable to them. Redesigned name tags also feature a newly created space for pronouns, to promote greater inclusivity for everyone in WestJet’s world, while an infusion of the airline’s iconic teal colour highlights its 26-year history.”
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