Air New Zealand is urging agents to upskill on its new 787 product offering, and to capitalise on the upselling opportunity.
The first retrofitted aircraft took flight today, offering six product options across the plane.
“The arrival of this first retrofitted aircraft signals a turning point for Air New Zealand as we start to gain momentum. We’re spent five years developing this product and we’re looking forward to working closely with the trade to get the message out,” says NZ chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien.
Once NZ’s 14 787s are retrofitted the carrier will have a 27% increase in premium seats across the fleet to meet the high premium demand. “We’re backing that premium market as we go forward, because we think it tends to be more resistant to changes, and that’s an opportunity for agents.”
. . . Top Pick
While the carrier’s new Business Premier Luxe and revamped Business Premier products have been welcomed by both the trade and frequent flyers—it’s further back in the plane that is tipped to be the real ‘game changer’ in terms of product.
O’Brien says NZ is proud of its enhancements made ‘down the back’ in economy, including larger IFE screens, more stowage options, Bluetooth audio capability, the new Sky Pantry snack station and free wifi.
“But I think it’s our new Premium Economy that’s going to be the pick. We’ve gone back to the hard shell design which means passengers can recline within the shell of the seat—and have a lot of control over their seat. There’s also a 15-inch IFE screen, more room, adjustable leg and foot rests among other upgrades—as well as our food and beverage service. It’s going to be a pretty competitive product.”
O’Brien expects the revamped Premium Economy offering to continue to be popular with leisure travellers—and again urges agent to upskill on the nuances of the seats to sell with confidence. And in terms of the preferred seats, the NZ exec says the team are picking the window seats on the back row of premium economy (26A and 26 J) to be popular with passengers.
The slick new IFE, which will enable NZ to add aps to the offering in due course, features short tutorials on all of the product types, for clients travelling on the new 787 product for the first time.
