Airline also adds new direct service from Dallas-Fort Worth to Auckland
FORT WORTH, Texas — A trip to the breathtaking landscape of the majestic Southern Alps will become much shorter when American Airlines launches the only nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Christchurch, New Zealand (CHC), next October. The airline is also adding the only direct service between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland, New Zealand (AKL), which will increase connecting opportunities for more customers across the United States. These routes are a direct result of the recently approved joint business with Qantas, which delivers new customer benefits like enhanced codeshare opportunities and increased frequent flyer benefits for American and Qantas customers.
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and as the only carrier to operate this route, American will introduce its customers to one of the world’s most unique destinations.
“The South Island sums up everything that our customers are looking for in New Zealand — adventure, culture and wildlife found no where else,” said Vasu Raja, American’s Senior Vice President of Network Strategy. “We want to make their lifelong dreams a reality and bring New Zealand’s beauty even closer as the gateway to the South Island where you can drive, hike, cruise and fly to a variety of classic New Zealand experiences.”
American will fly to CHC three times per week from October 2020 through March 2021 on a Boeing 787-8. The 787-8 features 20 Flagship Business seats and 28 Premium Economy seats, providing additional comfort for the 13-hour flight. The aircraft offers a variety of entertainment options for customers, with access to power at every seat, live television, and hundreds of movies, music, games and TV shows.
LAX to CHC creates unique one-stop connections to the South Island not previously available by any other carrier. Qantas and Jetstar will connect passengers from CHC on to Wellington and Melbourne — some of the most popular destinations in the Pacific.
American currently operates seasonal service from LAX to AKL and will add new service from DFW next year. Flights will be operated with American’s state-of-the-art 787-9, with 30 Flagship Business seats and 21 Premium Economy seats. New flights from DFW to AKL will enable new one-stop connections to New Zealand from more than 70 cities across the United States.
“Now, we’re able to get customers from places like Louisville, Savannah or Monterrey, Mexico, all the way to New Zealand with just one stop,” said Raja.
As American enhances its commitment to the region, seasonal LAX to AKL service will resume earlier next year — Oct. 7 — adding three weeks of service to the increasingly popular destination.
“The South Island is a must-see for any international visitor to New Zealand,” said Stephen England-Hall, Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive. “Thanks to the new nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Christchurch and Dallas-Fort Worth to Auckland, it’s is now easier than ever before to experience all that unique and welcoming New Zealand has to offer.”
American and Qantas recently received final approval to form a joint business, which promises significant customer benefits not possible through any other form of cooperation. The carriers have already rolled out improved frequent flyer benefits, including higher earning rates for points and status credits on each airline’s network, and have expanded codeshare routes on each other’s network. Qantas will also increase from six weekly flights between Sydney, Australia (SYD), and DFW to daily service by mid-2020. Additionally, Qantas announced new service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Brisbane, Australia (BNE), which will launch in February and April respectively. Qantas will have its code on American’s new flights to New Zealand, giving Qantas frequent flyers more opportunities to earn and redeem Qantas points and status credits on American. Next year, American and Qantas will provide the most service to Australia and New Zealand from the United States.
LAX–AKL flights beginning in Oct. 2020 will be available for purchase starting Nov. 9. New LAX–CHC and DFW–AKL flights will be available for purchase starting Nov. 30.
www.aa.com
New era for Air New Zealand’s International Network
Air New Zealand is accelerating its ambitions for North America and will launch a non-stop service between Auckland and New York using its 787-9 Dreamliner in October 2020.
To direct capacity to faster-growing markets, the airline has also made the difficult decision to withdraw from its daily Los Angeles-London service from October 2020.
Air New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Officer Jeff McDowall says while it’s hard to farewell such an iconic route, the airline must remain focused on markets with the greatest opportunity for long-term profitable growth.
“Air New Zealand is strongest when operating direct flights to and from our home base and this reset will put us in the best possible position to take advantage of increasing demand across the Pacific Rim. “Visitor growth to New Zealand is strongest from North America and performance of our new service to Chicago is exceeding expectations. New York has been an aspiration for Air New Zealand for some time and withdrawal from the Atlantic will free up aircraft capacity to make this milestone a reality,” says Mr McDowall.
Air New Zealand will fly between Auckland and its alliance partner United Airlines’ New York hub Newark Liberty International Airport three times weekly, year-round, using its latest configuration Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Tickets for Air New Zealand’s New York service will go on sale soon, subject to regulatory approvals and landing slot confirmation.
Los Angeles-London has been a flagship route for Air New Zealand and an important link connecting New Zealand and Europe since its launch in 1982, however Mr McDowall says market dynamics have affected performance in recent years.
“Today Kiwis have more than twice the number of ways to fly to London than a decade ago and preferences have changed. Less than seven percent of all airline travellers between Auckland and London chose to fly via Los Angeles last year.
“At the same time, the Atlantic has become one of the most hotly contested routes in the world and Air New Zealand lacks the home market advantages and scale of the North American and European airlines we’re up against.”
Mr McDowall says the hardest aspect of the decision is the impact on Air New Zealand’s people who’ve worked incredibly hard to build the route and to achieve the highest customer satisfaction levels across the airline’s international network.
“Sadly, the withdrawal will see the disestablishment of our London cabin crew base of around 130 people and, subject to consultation, around 25 roles in our Hammersmith sales office and ground team. We will be working with our people and their union to help with the next steps in their career, including looking at opportunities in other areas of the airline.”
Los Angeles-London will operate as scheduled until October 2020 and no tickets have been sold beyond this date. Air New Zealand has chosen to announce the withdrawal more than a year in advance to allow time to support its people and to avoid any impact to customers booked to travel.
Europe, including the UK, remains a significant sales region for Air New Zealand. Currently more than two thirds of revenue generated by its London team is unrelated to the Atlantic route and the airline will retain a sales, marketing and cargo presence in London to serve this important market, including after the cessation of its Los Angeles-London service.
“We fully expect customers will want to take advantage of the many connection options on our partner networks through Air New Zealand’s gateways in Asia and the Americas, including New York. It’s important to us that customers continue to enjoy a seamless journey, and we’ll be working closely with our partners to ensure the best experience and benefits for travellers,” says Mr McDowall.
Ground-Breaking Radar Advances Space Traffic Safety in LEO Menlo Park, CA, October 14, 2019— LeoLabs, Inc., the leading commercial provider of low Earth orbit (LEO) mapping and space situational awareness (SSA) services, introduced a new era of transparency in LEO today with the launch of its Kiwi Space Radar (KSR). As the first commercial radar to track objects in LEO smaller than 10 centimeters, the KSR sets a new standard for tracking the full range of threats to satellites from orbital debris. Located in New Zealand, the KSR also expands LeoLabs’ radar network to the southern hemisphere, and marks the first of a series of next generation LeoLabs radars to be deployed globally.
“The Kiwi Space Radar raises the bar on addressing the threat of collisions that have never before been tracked in LEO,” said Michael Nicolls, co-founder and LeoLabs Chief Technology Officer. “By operating at a higher frequency than our earlier sensors, the KSR was designed to track an estimated 250,000 additional objects down to 2 centimeters in size. These objects account for most of the risk of collisons in space, and KSR is the first big step towards addressing that risk. It will enable thousands of new satellites to safely use LEO.
“The Kiwi Space Radar represents a huge step in executing on our vision for customers and investors,” said Dan Ceperley, cofounder and CEO of LeoLabs. “As thousands of satellites and new constellations deploy into LEO, our mission is to provide a backdrop of data-driven transparency and certainty to support satellite operators, regulators, space agencies, and industries that rely on satellite services. Today’s KSR announcement proves a foundational piece of this vision. Our radar network constitutes a clear strategic advantage for us in building the leading LEO services platform and the ‘catalogue of the future’ for low Earth orbit.”
Kiwi Space Radar --- Innovation Highlights In addition to tracking small debris, the Kiwi Space Radar incorporates other significant features: • Automated search capability. As LeoLabs builds out the LEO catalog of the future, the KSR provides the ability to automatically search, discover objects and events. Generating orbital information without the need for human intervention will provide a more timely and complete picture for SSA and traffic management services. • Southern hemisphere coverage. The KSR is the first phased-array radar of its class located in the southern hemisphere. It improves frequency of revisits, enables better orbit assessment, and improves monitoring of maneuvers and events. • Improved precision in measurements and orbit determination. Because the KSR dramatically increases the quantity and quality of observations for each satellite and piece of orbital debris, LeoLabs can deliver greater accuracy and timeliness to support mission decisions and threat assessment.
LeoLabs Investment in New Zealand “Locating the Kiwi Space Radar in New Zealand was a strategic decision for LeoLabs, and we are excited to become a full-fledged participant in this emerging space sector,” said Dan Ceperley. “Our investment model is aligned with New Zealand’s vision of sustainable development and responsible stewardship of space.
Through the leadership of the New Zealand Space Agency, and initiatives such as the Innovative Partnership program from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), New Zealand is building what we believe to be one of the great space sectors for the next generation.” Ceperley added, “A benefit of our presence in New Zealand is that we’ve had the opportunity to engage across many communities, ranging from Ministerial levels to local communities, including schools, local government, entrepreneurs, and universities.
We plan to engage in this same “community-based” model as we expand to other parts of the world going forward.”
https://www.leolabs.space
Dunedin, New Zealand (October 15, 2019) - Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand’s largest grass-fed lamb, beef, and venison producer, has entered the U.S. retail market this week having launched in 14 Fairway Market stores across the Tri-State region.
Silver Fern Farms’ grass-fed and pasture-raised products have been available to restaurants, specialty butcher shops and industry professionals through long standing specialty foodservice distributor North American Meats and More, a division of Marx Companies. Silver Fern Farms’ new Fairway Market partnership marks the first time U.S. consumers will have access to the brand’s retail packs and be able to taste the flavorful cuts at their local store.
“New York City is one of the great food capitals of the world and we are excited to provide New Yorkers with delicious eating experiences in the comfort of their own homes,” said Nicola Johnston, Silver Fern Farms’ Group Marketing Manager. “Our products have been available in local butchers and restaurants in NYC for several years, and after listening to positive feedback from consumers we are confident that New York City has an appetite for our 100% grass-fed New Zealand products.”
With its 100% standard program, Silver Fern Farms’ farmers go above and beyond the already world-leading New Zealand industry standard to produce meat that is 100% grass-fed, 100% pasture-raised, with no antibiotics ever, no added hormones ever, and no feedlots at any time in their life.
Silver Fern Farms takes the highest level of care to guarantee the integrity of their products and supply chain, and has partnered with Oritain, and uses their Scientific Traceability system to verify the origin of their red meat.
As part of its 100% standard promise, Silver Fern Farms retail products will soon feature a QR code-enabled on-pack product traceability system that will give consumers the ability to trace where the meat comes from and the quality of its environment.
New Zealand’s pasture-based farming system is a forerunner in environmental sustainability and was rated first equal for animal welfare standards by the Animal Protection Index, one of four countries in the world to receive the top grade. Silver Fern Farms is leading the country’s efforts to meet sustainable targets for its processing sites, removing 23.8 tons of plastic from its supply chain in 2017, and aiming to reduce water use and wastewater by 10% (2020) and greenhouse gas emissions by 30% (2030). So far, the company has already implemented a number of initiatives to address climate change and reduce its impact on the environment.
Products that will be available in Fairway Market stores will include:
Silver Fern Farms has plans to expand its range with more products to come in the new year.
ABOUT SILVER FERN FARMS: Silver Fern Farms is New Zealand’s largest grass-fed lamb, beef and venison producer, supplying the Tri-State area [NY, NJ, CT] from the rolling pastures in New Zealand and striving to set the world standard in red meat. Starting as a small farm cooperative in 1948, Silver Fern Farms has been built by passionate and skilled people and has become the world’s benchmark for red meat, bringing the finest grass-fed and naturally raised meat from New Zealand pastures to your table. From its farmers, graders and butchers, to any one of us in our own kitchens, Silver Fern Farms understands that the ability to make delicious is in the way they approach their product, from start to finish. The company was rated in the top 20 companies on the Colmar Bruntons Corporate Reputation Index 2019 for the second year, as one of only two food brands. It produces 30% of all New Zealand lamb, beef and venison in partnership with 16,000 farmers, and exports to over 60 countries.
Airline update
LATAM currently operates popular daily flights from Sydney via Auckland to Santiago, however from 27 October three of the flights each week will overfly Auckland to provide the airline a non-stop Sydney to Santiago service. The rationale is that together with One World partner Qantas they secure one-stop services between SE Asia and South America through the Qantas hub in Sydney. This LATAM flight is very popular with our business traveller clients and now with only 4 flights each week from Auckland it is critical that you plan and book much earlier than in the past. Clients will often use this flight when combining business in North and South America due to the very good LATAM airfares available on that circuit.
For your next staff Quiz Night these are the world’s top 10 busiest routes by departing aircraft. Having the world’s busiest airports, you’d expect US city pairs to be the busiest, but this is not the case. The information is compiled by CAPA (Centre for Aviation):
California has banned hotels from giving guests small, plastic shampoo and soap bottles. A new law banning hotels from providing guests with small plastic bottles containing shampoo, conditioner or soap means that hotels would have to install reusable dispensers or use glass instead. The ban will apply to the more than 515,000 hotel rooms in California. The new law takes effect in 2023 for hotels with more than 50 rooms and 2024 for hotels with less than 50 rooms.
Travel better! At ATPI New Zealand we’re a member of the prestigious US-based Virtuoso, an invited group of the world’s leading travel agents and where we can achieve benefits over and above any other travel agent or booking site for our clients. For a similar level as any advertised rate included on the hotel site, Bookings.com or Expedia you’ll receive:
Take a stopover on your way back from your heavily scheduled week of business with a layover near San Francisco in wine country! And when wine country beckons, Carneros Resort and Spa is the answer. This uniquely styled retreat is one of our Virtuoso partner hotels and has 94 individual guest cottages and suites, three full-service restaurants including renowned ‘Farm’ and a top-rated spa. The cottages themselves are heaven-sent, with cozy fireplaces, spacious patios with teak furnishings, and private outdoor spaces. Spend an afternoon at the inspired spa; treatments are based on local flavours, from rosemary and olive to quince and honey. Take to bikes for a ride through the vineyards. Then cap off a memorable day with a dinner of fresh local ingredients at FARM. We have a special offer for Amcham Members giving a 4th night free which is in addition to the usual Virtuoso amenities – ask one of our team!
It's kick-off time in London. Some of America’s top NFL teams return to London this month for four games, a couple of which are at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the first purpose-built NFL stadium outside the USA. On 13 October the Carolina Panthers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wembley Stadium hosts the final two games, with the Los Angeles Rams hosting Cincinnati Bengals on 27 October, and the Houston Texans playing the Jacksonville Jaguars on 3 November.
In line with California removing plastic bottles from hotels, our international travellers will also notice a change to our travel documents. Gone are the less fashionable plastic ticket wallets (never single use we’re assured!) and we’ve developed an ATPI cardboard ticket wallet. We look forward to your feedback on the new ticket wallets. Actually our timing with California is only coincidental!
Reminder: Your international visitors to New Zealand may require an electronic travel authorisation to land in New Zealand NZeTA. There is essentially two parts to this – the basic electronic visa required for relevant nationals and the IVL – International Visitor Levey – which is the NZ$35 payable for us to build smarter facilities in National Parks (hopefully potentially more than that!). Have your visiting colleagues look at https://nzeta.immigration.govt.nz/. As with the US ESTA site it’s likely that many copycat sites will show up and charge more than is necessary. The best source is our website noted below – refer to the Traveller Resources section for the correct websites.
ATPI New Zealand NZ wide: 0800 508 580
www.atpi.co.nz
NZX-listed Manuka honey exporter, Comvita (NZX:CVT), has achieved the official Non-GMO Project seal of approval for its UMF™ Manuka honey range sold in the USA and Canada.
The company’s UMF™ 5+, 10+, 15+ and 20+ Manuka honey, which is available across North America via large, well-known retailers such as Costco and Vitamin Shoppe as well as online, now features the impartial third-party’s seal of approval front-of-pack.
Comvita Head of Category, Shane Bloor, says with increased awareness about GMOs across North America, and more in-market shoppers paying attention to labels, displaying the Non-GMO verification on-pack gives American shoppers another reason to choose Comvita.
“This verification, while not available in other markets, is really important to American and Canadian consumers. It offers an additional level of assurance of the quality and purity of Comvita Manuka honey, and that our products are true-to-label."
Christchurch-based exporter Garra International will merge with global trading company KIT International creating a joint venture, with a combined turnover in excess of NZ$350 million taking New Zealand and international primary produce to the world.
Garra founder Ali Mossalem said today that combining their resources and product ranges will strengthen both companies as they have complementary markets, products and customers.
“For example,” Mossalem said, “Garra does not trade in chicken meat, but KIT does. So, for our established customers in the Middle East, the ability to add chicken to our range is likely to grow our market share in that region. Similarly, Garra’s access to some of the best red meats and other primary produce that New Zealand and Australia have to offer will augment KIT’s product range.”
Mossalem founded Garra in Christchurch 25 years ago. It specialises in marketing and exporting high quality red meat, offal, dairy, vegetables and seafood – sourced from trusted suppliers throughout the world – to markets in the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and North America.
KIT International was founded in the United States in 2011 and sells around 65,000 tonnes of primary produce annually throughout the world. The company promotes its trading role as an important link between the animal protein production sector and the international consumer market.
The joint venture will combine 85 current staff and necessitate new hires in Christchurch and other global offices.
Read more
A Kiwi-made app which uses augmented reality (AR) to help retailers and restaurateurs visualise in-store elements before implementing them has been acquired by an American company.
Staccar, created by Christchurch-based software developer, Smudge, makes it easy to accurately visualise and customise in-store merchandising elements — such as drinks fridges, display units, signage and more — by virtually placing them in-situ on phone and tablet screens.
The product dramatically improves the sell-in process for field sales reps, execution managers and visual merchandisers by helping them show and share in-store solutions with customers before they commit.
"Gone are the days of having to imagine what new elements might look like in a retail space. Now, retailers can see it for themselves in a totally immersive and realistic way,” Reuben Bijl, Managing Director of Smudge, says.
“Augmented reality offers tremendous potential to help businesses make better decisions, and Staccar is a perfect example of that.”
“Beyond live visualisation, AR can be used for education, entertainment, communication and collaboration, among many other things.
“The possibilities are endless and this is the kind of work we love doing — to help businesses around the world solve problems using technology. By building better tools in the virtual world, we can help them make better decisions in the real world.”
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, InContext Solutions buys the underlying technology for Staccar, as well as related apps and services.
Read More
Seven New Zealand startups with US market ambitions are set to showcase at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this week, as part of an in-market immersion week in Silicon Valley organised by ecentre, the business incubator hosted at Massey University.
The Kiwi startup founders, recent graduates of ecentre’s Sprint Global programme, will join around 10,000 people interested in the startup and technology world at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019. A New Zealand Pavilion in Startup Alley, hosted by ecentre, will provide a valuable opportunity for the startups to showcase their tech products, platforms and services at the event.
The startups showcasing at TechCrunch, as part of the ecentre’s New Zealand Pavilion, include:
• Bee Intelligence – software and technology for precision apiculture from bee hive to honey jar
• Demandlytix - real time consumer demand platform to help business planning
• iLose - weight loss app for coaches and their clients
• Narrative Muse - an artificial intelligence company that engages audiences and predicts demand for women-focused content
• PICMI - the seasonal staffing solution - hiring and working made easy!
• Sparrows – real time freight tracking, monitoring and alerts for the supply chain
• Trickle - maximising hospitality venues by tracking every drop of beer poured on tap
Cin7, a pioneer in cloud-based inventory management software (IMS) and point-of-sale (POS) solutions, has agreed to a majority investment from Rubicon Technology Partners (“Rubicon”), a US-based private equity firm that invests exclusively in enterprise software companies. The funding will be used to accelerate Cin7’s global growth strategy through product innovation, sales expansion and continued investment in customer success.
“This investment validates all of the hard work our team has put in to building a market-leading product and delivering best-in-class support to our growing, global customer base,”
said Danny Ing, Founder and Chief Architect of Cin7.
“We are now doubling-down to reach the global growth we know is possible with a great partner that has the resources, operational expertise and cultural fit to accelerate our growth.” “With the most comprehensive, easy to use and swift-to-implement inventory management software product on the market, Cin7 is ready to become the clear leader in the global IMS market,”
“We are now doubling-down to reach the global growth we know is possible with a great partner that has the resources, operational expertise and cultural fit to accelerate our growth.”
“With the most comprehensive, easy to use and swift-to-implement inventory management software product on the market, Cin7 is ready to become the clear leader in the global IMS market,”
“The company has built a highly differentiated IMS solution that solves a critical and complex problem for growing merchants selling their products through multiple online and offline channels. Cin7’s proven ability to capture global market share provides a strong foundation for continued growth, which we plan to aggressively accelerate with our investment in and partnership with the Cin7 team.”
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