As a nation, New Zealanders are incredibly proud of their culture, heritage and local produce, and the flag carrier Air New Zealand has always tuned into that sentiment. Today the full-service carrier unveiled its latest food and drinks offering, with an emphasis on showcasing New Zealand suppliers and native ingredients more than ever before.
Some special meals for the pointy end
Branded A Taste of Aotearoa, the new menu is now onboard Air New Zealand Business Premier cabins and is available on all long-haul flights out of New Zealand. Aotearoa is the contemporary Maori language name for New Zealand so it is only fitting that the Taste of Aotearoa offering highlights local food producers and ingredients.
Photo:Â Jordan Tan/Shutterstock
Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said the new onboard food and beverage offering is inspired by manaakitanga – the Maori tradition of hospitality – and is a true celebration of Aotearoa’s incredible culinary heritage.
“We believe it’s our privilege to showcase the best our country has to offer and share that with the world, and one we take very seriously. Whether it’s on a plate or in a glass, we want to serve up an authentic taste of New Zealand onboard and in our lounges.
“Our country’s unique flora and produce are a treasure trove of flavours and ingredients that have inspired us to create a dining experience that celebrates the special flavours of Aotearoa.”
Here’s what’s on offer
As well as new food choices, premier customers will have selected seasonal cocktails to savor through a partnership with New Zealand drinks creator East Imperial. The new drinks will be available in Business Premier cabins on the New York and Chicago routes from late August to October. From next month the passengers in Business Premier will have A Taste of Aotearoa choices, including:
- Superfood salad with horopito dusted New Zealand Salmon
- Creamy kawakawa mushrooms on rye toast, sauteed spinach and grilled tomatoes
- Ahia smoked moki on kawakawa blini
- Grass fed New Zealand lamb rump with horopito rub.
It is also time for the airline to select its 2024 wine list, which involves wines from 125 New Zealand wineries being evaluated for the Business Premier cabins and Tier One lounges. In the current 2023 offering are 56 wines, spanning eight varietals, that, according to Air New Zealand, “demonstrate exceptional quality, consistency and distinctiveness, as well as capturing the essence of New Zealand’s diverse wine regions.”
The routes between Auckland, New York, and Chicago are operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which shares long-haul flying for Air New Zealand with the Boeing 777-330ER. The Dreamliners have a three-class configuration, which in the case of ZK-NZR, a recent operator of the Auckland – New York service, contains 275 seats, including 27 in business, 33 in premium economy and 215 in the economy cabin.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
According to data from ch-aviation.com, the airline has 14 787-9s and seven 777-300ERs in its fleet of 107 aircraft. The balance of the fleet includes Airbus A320, A320neo and A321neo aircraft, plus an A330 wet-leased from Wamos Air and operating the Auckland – Perth (PER) route. It also has 23 De Havilland DHC-8-Q300s, which it uses on regional services.
Have you flown with Air New Zealand recently? Let us know about it in the comments.
Source: ch-aviation.com
