Air New Zealand to serve chef Josh Emett's first menu. Published on: 22nd October 2026 at 9:48 AM Air New Zealand will serve chef Josh Emett's first menu in 25 October on long-haul flights departing Auckland and North America. Emett joined Air New Zealand as Premium Culinary Ambassador in May 2026. Showcasing New Zealand ingredients and flavours, the menu brings a taste of Aotearoa to customers travelling to New Zealand and celebrates their food culture for those heading overseas. From wild Fiordland venison and South Island salmon to Bay of Plenty kiwifruit and Martinborough Pinot Noir, the menu celebrates ingredients and flavours from across the country. Emett joined Air New Zealand as Premium Culinary Ambassador in May and says his first menu showcases the ingredients that make New Zealand food special. "New Zealand is home to some of the world's best produce, and I wanted to create dishes that let those ingredients shine," Emett said. "There's salmon, wild venison, kiwifruit, and Pinot Noir alongside lesser-known flavours that I love cooking with like kawakawa, horopito and karengo." Fiordland wild venison features on the menu, served with golden kūmara chutney, kawakawa-spiced beetroot and toasted pine nuts. The venison comes from WithWild, a New Zealand producer working with wild deer from Te Waipounamu. "North America is such an important market for us," Air New Zealand chief customer and digital officer Jeremy O'Brien said. "Working with Josh gives us the opportunity to create something special that feels unmistakably from New Zealand and further strengthens the quality and attention to detail our customers expect." Emett's dishes begin rolling out onboard from 25 October 2026 across Premium Economy, Business Premier and Business Premier Luxe on long-haul flights out of Auckland and select flights from North American ports.

Air New Zealand wins APAC punctuality bronze in September. Air New Zealand was the third most punctual airline in the Asia-Pacific region last month, according to data from aviation analyst Cirium. September saw 87.3 per cent of Air New Zealand flights arrive within 15 minutes of schedule, well above the global average of 77.7 per cent, placing it behind Hainan Airlines and Trinity Airways (formerly T'way). The carrier operated a total of 13,072 flights during the month. "Customers count on us to get them where they need to go. Our airport and cabin teams make that possible by working together to get each flight ready to depart on time. That means being disciplined and focusing on the details," said Air New Zealand chief operations officer Kate Boyer. "There isn't one silver bullet for punctuality - it's about getting lots of small things right, from having the aircraft ready, bags being loaded, crew being in position and customers boarding at the right time. Saving a minute or two at each stage makes a difference." According to Air New Zealand, one technique it has used to increase punctuality is "pre-staging general boarding", which involves airport and cabin crew teams working together to "have the gate and customers ready so general boarding can begin as soon as the aircraft is cleared". "On international flights from Auckland, the trial saw extended boarding delays reduce by around 45 per cent and general boarding begin just under four minutes earlier," the airline said. "Air New Zealand then tested the same approach on domestic jet services from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. While domestic flights generally have a shorter boarding process, the trial still saw boarding-related delays reduce by around 25 per cent." Boyer noted that pre-staging general boarding has now become an approved process for Air New Zealand departures across all NZ airports since the beginning of October. "The biggest learning has been about what we can achieve when our airport and cabin crew teams have a shared understanding of what excellence looks like and work together to get flights ready earlier," she said. "Every minute matters when a delay to one flight can have a knock-on effect across the network. That's the kind of precision and discipline that sits behind a strong operation. "Australian Aviation need to maintain this focus on finding opportunities to improve punctuality and reliability for its customers, particularly as Australian Aviation head into the busy summer period. "87.3 per cent is a strong result, but our focus is the other 12.7 per cent. That's what keeps us looking for the next minute we can save." While no Australian airlines appeared in Cirium's top 10 for APAC in September, Qantas did rank fifth among major airlines globally in fellow analyst OAG's ratings for the month, with 86.57 per cent of its flights arriving on time. Want to see more stories from trusted news sources? Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google. Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.

Qantas & Air New Zealand end codeshare agreement on April 7, 2027. by John Ollila Qantas and Air New Zealand have had a codeshare agreement for domestic flights within Australia and New Zealand, excluding trans-Tasman flights, since 2018. The partnership ends on April 7, 2027. Airlines will remove codeshares on that date, and if you are booked on one, you will be rebooked on the operating airline's flight numbers. You can access Qantas here and Air New Zealand here. The award access for Qantas and Air New Zealand frequent flier program members also ends on this date. Qantas's notice: The partnership between Qantas and Air New Zealand will end on 7 April 2027. Qantas codeshare flights operated by Air New Zealand will no longer be available to book from this date. If you're booked to travel before 7 April 2027, your booking will not be affected by this change, and eligible members can keep using Air New Zealand lounges. If you're booked for travel on a Qantas codeshare flight operated by Air New Zealand on or after 7 April 2027, Qantas or your travel agent will update your itinerary to a flight with an Air New Zealand flight number. Qantas Frequent Flyer members will still earn the Qantas Points and Status Credits they would have earned on their original booking. Qantas Classic Flight Reward seats will be available for booking until 6 April 2027. Conclusion I never quite understood this partnership that is at least partially uncompetitive, although it has excluded trans-Tasman flights. Maximize your miles & Points. Unsubscribe anytime. Loyaltylobby respect your privacy.