AIR NEW ZEALAND CONCIERGE, AT YOUR SERVICE

The first Air New Zealand service to feature an in-flight concierge flew from Auckland yesterday with Travel Daily and Travelscene Holidays agents onboard for a famil tour to San Francisco.

The carrier’s deputy ceo Norm Thompson told TD more than 3000 applications were received for the positions, with 40 selected to make “every customer journey a special event.”

The concierge service, a unique world first for Air New Zealand will be phased in on all long-haul flights, with the concierges aiming to be the “face” of the airline, adding a personal perspective and caring for passengers all the way from check-in to arrival.

Each long-haul Air New Zealand flight will have a single concierge who will cover all cabins.

Concierges wear a different uniform to other cabin crew and although they’re experts on food and wine, they aren’t expected to be be serving passengers.
Instead they’ll provide personal care, destination information and travel tips - and they’re also trained in emergency procedures.

As well as expertise on a wide range of New Zealand destinations for inbound pax, the concierges will also share their knowledge of where to eat, what to do and where to stay in whichever outbound destination they’re heading to.

They’ll use a common website to build their collective expertise and experiences of the destinations.

Pictured here are four of the new Air NZ in-flight concierges, with the carrier’s deputy ceo Norm Thompson (second from left): Jay Huggett, Grant Robinson, Erin Lovich and Lauren Thatcher.

Air New Zealand
The longhaul aircraft Air New Zealand operates are the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 747. All of the aircraft feature back-of-seat video-on-demand entertainment, a great way to keep the kids happy on flights allowing them to watch their own kids movies and play games.

In Economy class, Air New Zealand’s longhaul aircraft are more spacious than some other airlines. The seats are wider and the seat pitch is between 32-34".

Air New Zealand's Premium Economy product is a great option for any client. It's not a great extra cost, and offers seating in a special cabin. On the 747 seats are 2 abreast downstairs, and upstairs where the cabin is shared with Business Premier, seats are 3 and 2 abreast. Premium Economy seats are wider than in Economy, have leg and foot rests, a 50% greater recline, and a seat pitch of 38-40". Clients can check in at the Business Class counter and meals and beverages are Business Class (except trans Tasman).

Air New Zealand’s Business Premier seats offer completely flat, horizontal beds (6'7" in length) with direct aisle access from every seat/bed.

As well as daily San Francisco flights, Air New Zealand also operates daily flights to Los Angeles, and Vancouver either 2, 3 or 4 days a week, depending on the time of the year.

Travelscene Holidays/ Air New Zealand Educational San Francisco
Written by Kevin Mason from Travelscene Albion Park

Having not visited San Francisco before, I jumped at the opportunity to visit there when offered the chance.

Having grown up watching The Streets of San Francisco and listening to the Mamas and Papas, I had that 70's vision of big American cars flying over and down the steep streets in car chases and the carefree days of Flower Power in my head, and wanted to see for myself if it was as interesting and vibrant as portrayed.

I was not to be disappointed. After a slow start, with everyone meeting each other and the long trip to get there, things started to gradually find some pace, with a full itinerary of inspections and activities, and a little free time to explore thrown in.

The Handlery Hotel in Union Square was in a great position to get a feel of the City, close to all the shopping and nightlife.

A full day the next day with inspections and hosted meals around the Fisherman’s Wharf area, visit to the Aquarium, Wax Museum and finished off with the Hop on Hop off Bus, a must in any City you can find it, very informative and amusing.

The next day was to be a highlight, with a pushbike ride from Fisherman’s Wharf, along the Bay and across the Golden Gate Bridge to the beautiful Bayside town of Sausalito. The weather was excellent and the views to die for, with a Ferry ride back across the Bay, San Francisco in the background and motoring past Alcatraz Island, dodging Container Ships and yachts. Back just in time to get on the Alcatraz Tour, again a surprisingly interesting and fun thing to do.

My personal favourite arrived the next day after we checked out of the Handlery and headed for San Mateo County, on the coast about an hour away. We were going to a place called Half Moon Bay, a place made famous by the huge waves ridden at a place known as Mavericks, about a mile out to sea off the point at Half Moon Bay. When all the forces of nature come together at the right time of year (November I think), the best big wave riders in the world all come running to the Contest, to try their luck at riding waves that can reach up to 40 metres or more in height.

We saw some very modern and beautifully presented properties to stay in, with my favourite the Oceano Hotel and Spa, or the Half Moon Bay Lodge and its 72 hole golf course. We also visited The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, a great little Restaurant and mini brewery, where we were treated to a sensational lunch of gourmet creations by the new chef Mark, each matched to one of their Boutique Beers, very good food and very good beer, with many thanks to the Main man, Wayne, newly single and owner of this establishment. Half Moon Bay and the San Mateo area are beautiful, and it was good to get out of the City and see what the countryside had to offer.

We headed off to our accommodation for the night, in a place called Foster City, on the outskirts of San Francisco, and were surprised by the quality of the Crown Plaza Hotel, and the hospitality of the management. Access to San Francisco is easy, so it is feasible to stay out a bit and travel into the City.

Our last day arrived, to be a whirlwind of inspections and the highlight for me was the Hiller Aviation Museum. We were treated wonderfully at all of the Airport properties we visited, again excellent properties with easy access to San Francisco City. A little time for some last minute shopping, and a wine tasting at a little wine bar in downtown Burlingame, and we were heading for our flights home.

Many thanks to Ann and Gina from the San Mateo County Visitors Bureau, who looked after us too well!

I think I really did leave my heart in San Francisco.