Air New Zealand has shared its top trends of 2024, a year that saw Kiwis favouring espresso martinis, window seats and flights to Singapore.
NZ ceo Greg Foran says despite the hurdles faced in 2024, such as those surrounding ongoing engine availability, the airline last year achieved major milestones.
Highlights of the year, says Foran, included the first 787-9 Dreamliner going up to Singapore for a state-of-
the-art interior retrofit (with the new cabins to debut later this year), as well as the launch of its Mangopare Air New Zealand Pilot Cadetship, which received more than 2000 applications for its inaugural intake.
The airline also carried some rather interesting passengers, including 19 kiwi, 17 ducks, 10 geese and seven
penguins, as well as two owls, one kea and two Tasmanian devils.
. . . 2A Top Seat?
Auckland to Sydney was NZ’s most popular short-haul route in 2024, while AKL to Singapore topped long-haul travel.
Bali was also in demand, causing NZ to expand its service to a year-round schedule. Also trending were window seats proving the top choice across all aircraft types with seat 2A the most coveted, except on ATR-72 aircraft used for domestic services, where 16A was the favourite due to rear boarding. Mango chili margaritas and espresso martinis were also popular, the most in demand pre-departure cocktails in NZ lounges.
