Carry On: News for business travellers

Emirates launches daily service to Stockholm
More doors are being opened for New Zealand business travellers to Scandinavia. From September 4, Emirates will offer a direct connection to Stockholm through Dubai with daily flights from Auckland and Christchurch. The first Emirates service to the Nordic countries began in 2011 with Copenhagen, a route that has been successful, president Tim Clark says.
 
The daily service to Stockholm will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER and offer three cabin classes with eight seats in first class, 42 seats in business and 304 seats in economy. All four of Emirates’ daily flights from New Zealand will connect with the Stockholm flights, which will depart Dubai as EK157 at 7.15am and arrive at Stockholm Arlanda Airport at 12 noon local time.

Qantas exports lounge luxury to Singapore
Qantas opened its new Singapore lounge yesterday featuring a menu prepared by consulting chef Neil Perry based on his Rockpool food philosophy and his restaurant Spice Temple. Diners can choose from the live cooking station, help themselves to the buffet or have a snack at the bar. Spice Temple inspired cocktails are available alongside the wine selection and a barista service.

For the first time Qantas is working with Sofitel outside Australia to offer customers an experience consistent with its flagship First lounges in Sydney and Melbourne. This service includes exclusive services for Platinum One Qantas Frequent Flyers such as shirt pressing, shoe shining and priority access to showers. The lounge seats 460 guests, has 20 showers, 80-inch television screens throughout and technology pods located across the various zones.

Luxon stress importance of Chinese travellers
Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon is putting out the hard word to ensure the airline makes the most of the business travel and tourist potential from China. In a memo to staff sent while he was on the John Key-led mission to China this week, Mr Luxon outlines the need to turn New Zealand from an add-on to an Australia trip into a direct one.

"A mono-destination visitor is ultimately more valuable to the New Zealand economy as they stay longer, experience more of the country and spend more while they are here,” he says. "This is the part of our business that is growing rapidly and is improving our financial performance in China".

Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific carry two-thirds of the 77,000 visitors travelling directly from China. While visitors to New Zealand from China grew 38% last year, those using Air New Zealand's Shanghai services grew 71% after moving from three flights a week to a daily service. Even so, half of the 200,000 Chinese visitors to New Zealand this year will be dual-destination travellers who come from Australia. They typically travel in a group and spend just four days visiting Auckland and Rotorua.

"With our strong transtasman presence, we will maintain our share of this business, but the real opportunity is to build the direct services to and from China so we can accelerate the mono-destination visitors," Mr Luxon says.

Hawaiian says aloha to Beijing, drops Manila
Hawaiian Airlines is launching non-stop service between Honolulu and Beijing in April 2014 and will drop its direct flight to Manila on July 31. The service, which operates four times per week, started in April 2008, is being cancelled due to lack of demand. The new Beijing service will start on April 16, 2014, and will operate three times a week using a 294-seat A330 aircraft. It is subject to approvals by US and Chinese regulatory agencies.

Customise your own Jumbo
Boeing’s “Design Your Own Livery” online experience is back with new features ...and a 747-8 Intercontinental just waiting for your artistic efforts. The latest program builds on the success of the 787 Dreamliner version, allowing you to choose your own aircraft colours, graphics and a variety of shapes and designs to create a unique 747-8 livery. And you can view your handiwork in 3D from any angle, rotated on angle axis and seen with different in-sky scenarios.