Air New Zealand misses top regional airline in passenger awards. August 10, 2026 - 11:00pm Air New Zealand has been edged out by its trans-Tasman rival, Qantas, in a 40,000-strong passenger vote for best airline in the region. In the latest Flyers' Choice Awards hosted by AirlineRatings.com, the national carrier was forced to settle for second place in the Australia and Pacific region, with Virgin Australia rounding out the top three. The results revealed contradictions between how the public views Air New Zealand and how industry experts rate it. In the "Peace of Mind" safety category, travellers ranked Air New Zealand fifth, placing it behind Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Etihad Airways and Emirates. Yet in April, the carrier became the first in Australasia to earn AirlineRatings.com's top "seven-star-plus" safety rating following six undercover audit flights testing cabin crew responses to unbuckled seatbelts, lithium battery compliance, and turbulence safety procedures. A similar split emerged in the cabin. Passengers placed Air New Zealand third in Economy, behind Singapore Airlines and Emirates. In contrast, AirlineRatings.com editorial judges had crowned Air New Zealand the world's Best Economy Class Airline in March, praising its Skycouch design. In other cabin classes, Air New Zealand placed third in Premium Economy, but failed to rank in Business Class, where industry giants Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines swept the top spots. AirlineRatings.com chief executive Sharon Petersen told Stuff that because the Flyer's Choice Awards are a genuine popularity vote, naturally the larger airlines have an advantage simply because more people have experienced them. "Air New Zealand is not one of the world's biggest airlines, yet it continues to perform strongly across multiple categories. Its rankings in areas such as Best Economy and, particularly, Greatest Peace of Mind are especially impressive because they speak to something deeper than brand awareness; they reflect the trust and loyalty passengers have for the airline." Air New Zealand chief customer and digital officer Jeremy O'Brien told Stuff being voted the second most-preferred airline in Australia and the Pacific, alongside top-three recognition for economy and premium economy cabins, by travellers means a great deal. "This recognition belongs to our incredible Air New Zealand team, who work hard every day to care for our customers and deliver on our purpose of connecting New Zealanders with each other and Aotearoa with the world." While missing out on the regional crown, Air New Zealand made a splash in the aesthetic department. The carrier took second place in the Best Livery category - which rates the visual design and branding on the outside of an aircraft - finishing just behind Vietnam Airlines and ahead of Etihad Airways. When it comes to low-cost carriers, Jetstar came in joint third place with European carrier Easyjet. It was the Asian airlines that came in top, with VietJet Air and AirAsia coming in first and second. Other regional awards went to British Airways for the UK and Europe, Emirates for the Middle East and Africa, Delta for the USA and Canada, Cathay Pacific for North East Asia, and Latam for South and Central America. Paid Content

Qantas Airways Limited (QUBSF) receives a Buy from Macquarie. Aug. 9, 2026, 06:36 PM In a report released today, from Macquarie maintained a Buy rating on Qantas Airways Limited, with a price target of A$10.80. * Unlock powerful investing tools with TipRanks Premium to make smarter, more confident investment decisions * Subscribe to TipRanks Smart Investor Newsletter, and discover new investing opportunities with data-backed stock picks In a report released on August 4, Jefferies also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a A$11.91 price target. Based on Qantas Airways Limited's latest earnings release for the quarter ending December 31, the company reported a quarterly revenue of A$12.72 billion and a net profit of A$925 million. In comparison, last year the company earned a revenue of A$11.96 billion and had a net profit of A$923 million Read More on QUBSF:

Dozens of flights out of Sydney delayed up to 80 minutes. August 7, 2026 - 2:39pm Dozens of flights out of Sydney were delayed on Friday morning by up to 80 minutes because of what the airline industry's peak body says is a shortage of air-traffic controllers. Sydney Airport's Airservices Australia, which provides air-traffic control services, confirmed the delays but said they ended about noon and resulted in an average wait time of only 28 minutes. By the afternoon, Qantas Group said it was still seeing rolling delays related to 75 flights but no cancellations for rest of day. At least 27 Qantas flights were delayed, 23 were held up at QantasLink and low-cost stablemate Jetstar had 25 of its flights delayed. QantasLink also said it cancelled four flights on Friday. Virgin Australia confirmed morning flights on Friday experienced delays up to 80 minutes but said its teams were working to minimise disruption. Airservices Australia said it enacted Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures at Sydney Airport because of operational restrictions to safely manage projected airborne and departure demands. Stephen Beckett, chief executive of airline peak body A4ANZ, said the air-traffic control group needed to step up. "[They need to] ensure there are enough air-traffic controllers, so that when people are unwell or have other commitments, the national network doesn't grind to a halt," Beckett said. From our partners. Delays at Sydney, a key airline hub, have cascading effects through Australia's air network. Airservices acknowledged the ATFM measures, which have now been removed, caused disruptions to airline scheduling. The effects lasted from 8.20am to 11.15am. "However, capacity has now been restored and no further significant delays are anticipated," it said. Beckett said while the delays may be over for Airservices Australia, there was still "chaos is in the network". "Thousands of passengers are disrupted, with some missing international connections. This has to stop," he said. But Airservices Australia said ground delays have decreased by 13 per cent over the year to June 2026, to be less than 0.1 per cent of total network delays for the financial year. At the same time, in June almost 85 per cent of Qantas flights departed on time, according to aviation analytics firm OAG, ranking the airline as one of the world's most punctual. Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics data shows Qantas has ranked number one for punctuality for the eighth year in a row with more than 81 per cent of Qantas domestic and regional flights departing on time across the year to June. Sydney Airport, which is among the most congested, will soon have crosstown competition with the opening of Western Sydney International. The new airport will not have the same slot constraints or curfews that Sydney Airport has. Airservices said its air-traffic controllers are "incredibly proud and dedicated to performing what is a demanding, safety-critical role". Beckett acknowledged Australia has "an incredibly safe aviation industry" and said our air-traffic controllers do "an amazing job". Chris Zappone is a senior reporter covering aviation and business. He is former digital foreign editor.Connect via X, Facebook or email. SMH RECOMMENDS