Podcasts about Air New Zealand

New Air NZ CEO Nikhil Ravishankar joins Q+A to talk about the challenges in navigating an increasingly volatile world, how technology is changing the airline business, and how Air NZ can meaningfully contribute to the country's GDP. He also discusses his background, parents, and how he came to be in New Zealand.

As the Government looks to double the number of concerts at Eden Park, attention is also turning to Christchurch; Police are worried they might be tarnished after former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming pleaded guilty to possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material; Air New Zealand is grounding big dogs with new size and weight restrictions for carriers on its smaller do

Air New Zealand is grounding big dogs with new size and weight restrictions for carriers on its smaller domestic flights. The airline's Chief Safety and Integrity Officer Nathan McGraw spoke to Corin Dann.

Five years ago, Port of Auckland was struggling with a shocking health and safety record. Three people had died and many more had been injured at work. Financially, the company was dealing with a costly but flawed automation project, and COVID added plenty of headaches for the global shipping industry too. The company needed a complete turnaround, and Roger Gray was picked as the new chief executive to get on with the job. With a background of 20 years in the Australian Army and roles at Goodman Fielder and Air New Zealand, Roger came with experience in leadership, but this was a big job with big problems. Roger Gray joined Kerre Woodham in studio for the latest episode of Bosses Unfiltered. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand says it's committed to maintaining regional connections, despite the Government turning down its offer. CEO Nikhil Ravishankar last week pitched a temporary subsidy for lesser used domestic flights, saying it might be necessary to keep them operational. But Prime Minister Chris Luxon says a subsidy isn't the answer, and Air New Zealand should shift its focus. Ravishankar says it still isn't planning to leave the regions. "We know that it is a lot more than a commercial decision, it's a lifeline service at times. And we will do everything we can and everything we should be doing to ensure that connectivity remains." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five years ago, Port of Auckland was struggling with a shocking health and safety record. Three people had died and many more had been injured at work. Financially, the company was dealing with a costly but flawed automation project, and COVID added plenty of headaches for the global shipping industry too. The company needed a complete turnaround, and Roger Gray was picked as the new chief executive to get on with the job. With a background of 20 years in the Australian Army and roles at Goodman Fielder and Air New Zealand, Roger came with experience in leadership, but this was a big job with big problems. Roger Gray joined Kerre Woodham in studio for the latest episode of Bosses Unfiltered. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand says it's committed to maintaining regional connections, despite the Government turning down its offer. CEO Nikhil Ravishankar last week pitched a temporary subsidy for lesser used domestic flights, saying it might be necessary to keep them operational. But Prime Minister Chris Luxon says a subsidy isn't the answer, and Air New Zealand should shift its focus. Ravishankar says it still isn't planning to leave the regions. "We know that it is a lot more than a commercial decision, it's a lifeline service at times. And we will do everything we can and everything we should be doing to ensure that connectivity remains." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new chief executive of Air New Zealand has suggested what he's calling a "situational subsidy" to support regional routes when the economy is not doing well and demand is low. Nikhil Ravishankar spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

RNZ can reveal the Labour Party has agreed to campaign on a capital gains tax, or CGT, covering just property - excluding the family home and farms; Finance Minister and National's deputy leader Nicola Willis stood in for Christopher Luxon for his weekly interview; The new chief executive of Air New Zealand has suggested what he's calling a "situational subsidy" to support regional routes when the economy is not doing well and demand is low; Nearly two months after being stood down as Silver Ferns head coach, Dame Noeline Taurua is back in the top job; We crossed the ditch to Canberra to talk to our correspondent Kerry-Anne Walsh.

New Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar has suggested a “situational subsidy” to support regional routes when the economy is not doing well and demand is low. Ravishankar officially took over as CEO on 20 October 2025, replacing Greg Foran who stepped down after six years. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the implementation of a subsidy could allow for too much Government control over the agency which would be a 'complete disaster'. Seymour also addresses the legalisation of melatonin for those aged under-55. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Record sales couldn't save Nasdaq listed Tesla and Netflix from steep share price falls this week, as the companies navigated everything from expiring tax credits and global regulatory risks to intense competition. Meanwhile, the ASX200 posted a 0.39% slide (Mon – Thurs), as a slump in materials stocks weighed on market gains. In this week's wrap, Grady covers:(0:26): why Tesla's latest results show record sales but falling profits (1:10): why Netflix missed third- quarter expectations (2:02): how Coco-Cola is navigating the tough market environment (2:49): earnings results from Woodside, Adairs & Air New Zealand (5:13): how the ASX200 performed this week so far(5:53): the most traded stocks & ETFs by Bell Direct clients (6:22): economic news items to watch out for. 

Air New Zealand has welcomed a new CEO amidst a turbulant time for the airline. Just yesterday the national carrier revealed it is expecting a half year loss of up to $55 after an anticipated bump in passengers failed to land. Costs are rising too, with the bill for engine leases going up $20 million dollars. Several Air New Zealand planes have also been grounded for unsheduled maintaince due to engine faults. Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar spoke to Lisa Owen.

Air New Zealand's new chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar says some domestic routes may need subsidies to keep running. Whakatāne mayor Nándor Tánczos spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Air New Zealand's new chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar says some domestic routes may need subsidies to keep running; Health officials are urging the public to remain vigilant for measles symptoms ahead of the long weekend, with two further cases confirmed on Thursday; As clean up from the week's extreme gales and rain gets underway, many people will be turning their minds to making insurance claims for the damage; What started as a tiny fan event has grown into one of New Zealand's biggest pop culture celebrations; Auckland's amusement park Rainbow's End is officially welcoming thrill-seekers to ride its brand-new Pirate Ship, Pacifica.

Air New Zealand is expecting a significant effect on services today as parts of the country are hit with damaging gales and heavy rain. General Manager for Airports Kate Boyer spoke to Corin Dann.

In the North Island, Red Wind Warnings are in place for Wellington and southern Wairarapa. There are extensive public transport and flight cancellations. Air New Zealand says it's already cancelled almost 100 flights today. CEO Nikhil Ravishankar says told Mike Hosking that it will only operate flights if it's safe to do so. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand says it now expects to make a first-half loss of about $30 million to $55 million, before tax. It's just provided a trading update to the NZX. The national carrier says it expected a two to three percent uplift in revenue across domestic and US-bound bookings. However, this hasn't materialised and isn't evidenced in future bookings. NZ Shareholders Association head Oliver Mander says the engine issues and ongoing economic downturn are the main factors behind these changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 22 October 2025, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche airs his frustrations ahead of tomorrow's mega strike. Immunisation expert Dr Nikki Turner explains why there are concerns that measles is spreading undetected - and it's not just kids at risk. Master Plumbers CEO Greg Wallace explains when you should consider switching from gas to electricity given gas prices are going through the roof. Air New Zealand's new boss took over this week, and already he's hitting turbulence. The Huddle gets into a heated argument over climate-related disclosure rules. Plus, Heather reveals her controversial method of cooking sausages. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wall Street closed lower on Wednesday as investors assessed further updates out of Washington signalling dwindling progress on the trade front between the U.S. and China. The Dow Jones lost 0.71%, the S&P500 declined 0.53% and the Nasdaq ended the day down 0.93%.In Europe overnight markets in the region closed mixed as investors assessed corporate earnings results out in the region. The STOXX 600 fell 0.2%, Germany's DAX lost 0.74%, the French CAC declined 0.63% and, in the UK, the FTSE100 ended the day up 0.93%.Asia markets traded mixed on Wednesday as investors assessed key trade data out of Japan alongside the country's new leadership transition. For September, Japanese exports increased 4.2% YoY to snap four months of declines, however, the data came in lower than economists were expecting of 4.6% growth. Japan's Nikkei closed flat on Wednesday while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.94%, South Korea's Kospi Index rose over 1.5% and India's Nifty 50 ended the day up 0.1%.The local market closed the midweek session 0.71% lower as a materials sell-off of more than 3% weighed on gains among energy and tech stocks. The price of gold slumped over 6% overnight amid widespread profit taking and strength in the USD which spooked investors into panic sell mode out of gold miners on Wednesday. Genesis Minerals, Evolution Mining and Ramelius Resources each fell over 10% at the closing bell on Wednesday.Homewares retailer Adairs (ASX:ADH)  jumped 8.3% yesterday despite downgrading group sales forecast guidance for H1 to between $319.5m to $331.5m, down from the prior guidance of $324.5m to $336.5m, however margins were upgraded to the higher end of the forecast region at 59%-59.5%. Investors likely welcomed the pullback in promotional activity announced by the company amid moderated sales growth.And weaker-than-expected revenue and rising jet costs hit Air New Zealand (ASX:AIZ) yesterday with shares in the airline falling 1% after the company announced it expects to report a pre-tax loss between NZ$30m and NZ$55m for the first half. What to watch today:On the commodities front this morning oil is trading 4.25% higher at US$59.67/barrel, gold is down 0.52% at US$4103/ounce and iron ore is up 0.03% at US$105.53/tonne. The Aussie dollar has strengthened against the greenback to buy 64.92 U.S. cents, 98.64 Japanese yen, 48.51 British pence and 1 New Zealand dollar and 13 cents.Ahead of Thursday's trading session here in Australia the SPI futures are anticipating the ASX will open the day down 0.17%.Trading Ideas:Bell Potter has downgraded the rating on Aeris Resources (ASX:AIS) from a buy to a hold and have raised the 12-month price target on the copper producer following the release of the company's September quarterly report including results meeting the analysts' expectations for lower 1HFY26 production. The reason for the downgrade is simply due to recent share price appreciation of the company.Trading Central has identified a bearish signal on Viva Energy (ASX:VEA) following the formation of a pattern over a period of 22-days which is roughly the same amount of time the share price may fall from the close of $1.74 to the range of $1.54 to $1.58 according to standard principles of technical analysis.

Air New Zealand says it now expects to make a first-half loss of about $30 million to $55 million, before tax. It's just provided a trading update to the NZX. The national carrier says it expected a two to three percent uplift in revenue across domestic and US-bound bookings. However, this hasn't materialised and isn't evidenced in future bookings. NZ Shareholders Association head Oliver Mander says the engine issues and ongoing economic downturn are the main factors behind these changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought that the aviation sector is over capitalising - as New Zealand's domestic airfares have shot up more quickly than any other country. A global airport group says domestic airfares are up 63% in six years, and are well ahead of the second-highest, up 53%. Air New Zealand's Chief customer and digital officer Jeremy O'Brien told Mike Hosking that accelerated inflation is effecting the industry. He says we're a reasonably small country with long distances to fly. O'Brien says in many cases the industry is over-capitalising, which then impacts the sustainability of the market. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's thought that the aviation sector is over capitalising - as New Zealand's domestic airfares have shot up more quickly than any other country. A global airport group says domestic airfares are up 63% in six years, and are well ahead of the second-highest, up 53%. Air New Zealand's Chief customer and digital officer Jeremy O'Brien told Mike Hosking that accelerated inflation is effecting the industry. He says we're a reasonably small country with long distances to fly. O'Brien says in many cases the industry is over-capitalising, which then impacts the sustainability of the market. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's teamed up with Air Chathams on a new partnership for Whakatane. It'll mean customers can book single-ticket trips that combine domestic flights on both airlines. Checked-in baggage will be transferred directly to the final destination. Air New Zealand's Chief Transformation and Alliances Officer, Mike Williams, explained what the partnership could mean for both airlines. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's teamed up with Air Chathams on a new partnership for Whakatane. It'll mean customers can book single-ticket trips that combine domestic flights on both airlines. Checked-in baggage will be transferred directly to the final destination. Air New Zealand's Chief Transformation and Alliances Officer, Mike Williams, explained what the partnership could mean for both airlines. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Airlines are backing the Commerce Commission's decision to stop short of a formal inquiry into airport regulation. It's instead looking at changing how much information airports should provide airlines about major upgrades. This follows Air New Zealand writing to the regulator, raising that the costs it was facing from airports were growing out of control. Board of Airline Representatives Executive Director Cath O'Brien says a formal inquiry wasn't worth it. She told Mike Hosking the process is complicated, expensive, and not fit for purpose, as if they ran it, they'd have to apply the findings to all airports, not just one. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission has ruled out an inquiry into airport regulation, for now. Air New Zealand had written to the regulator, saying there was enough 'accumulated evidence and concern' to justify a probe. The Commission has done a 'short, targeted review'. Air New Zealand Head of Regulatory Affairs Kristy McKay revealed why she's pleased with this outcome. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Satisfaction on both sides over the Commerce Commission's decision regarding Air New Zealand's airport cost concerns. The Commission's announced it won't investigate airport regulation but will look into how much information airports should give airlines on major upgrades. Air New Zealand says it's pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Airports Association Chief Executive Billie Moore told Ryan Bridge it's constructive. But she says it's also about balance, as while Air New Zealand say they might pay half a billion in fees, Auckland is their biggest hub. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission has ruled out an inquiry into airport regulation, for now. Air New Zealand had written to the regulator, saying there was enough 'accumulated evidence and concern' to justify a probe. The Commission has done a 'short, targeted review'. Air New Zealand Head of Regulatory Affairs Kristy McKay revealed why she's pleased with this outcome. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know how the Prime Minister does a very good job of batting away poll results and saying that his focus is fixing up the joint after the last lot and that he'll wait until election day to be judged? I don't think he will find it quite as easy to do that with these results out today from the NZ Herald's annual Mood of the Boardroom survey. The annual survey of about 150 business leaders – 125 of them being CEOs of major New Zealand companies. People like Port of Auckland boss Roger Gray, the head of Tower Insurance Paul Johnston and Forsyth Barr boss Neil Paviour-Smith. One of the things that comes out in the survey results is a ranking of the performances of our Cabinet ministers. How these business leaders think of each minister is doing. Top of the list is Erica Stanford – she's the highest ranking. Winston Peters is in second place and Chris Bishop is third. The Prime Minister is ranked 15th. In last year's survey, he was sixth. Even Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, who sits outside cabinet, ranks higher than the PM in 10th place. The other big name outside the top 10 is Finance and Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis – the bosses at our biggest companies have ranked her in 13th place. Which is not good news for the Government. Because what's coming through loud and clear is that the business community has no faith that there is a plan to get the country “back on track”. We're way more than halfway through the Government's current term and our most senior business leaders are asking: “What is your plan Prime Minister?" I think this result out today is way worse for the Government than any political poll result so far. When you've got business leaders ranking the Finance Minister 13th and the Prime Minister 15th, this is a government in strife, isn't it? The reason I think this will hurt Christopher Luxon more than any of the other poll results he's managed to bat away or put a brave face on for, is that these are his people. Before he entered politics, he was one of them. He probably even took part in these surveys when he was chief executive at Air New Zealand. He's the people he's talking to when he goes on about signs of green shoots in the economy. These are the people he's talking to when he talks about getting runs on the board. The people who have said he's the 15th-best performing cabinet minister. The people he's talking to with his quarterly action plans, deliverables, KPIs, decision gates, and value chains. But his people still don't know what he's trying to do. They still don't know what his plan is. Which is why I think he will really be feeling this today. Because even his people don't get him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know how the Prime Minister does a very good job of batting away poll results and saying that his focus is fixing up the joint after the last lot and that he'll wait until election day to be judged? I don't think he will find it quite as easy to do that with these results out today from the NZ Herald's annual Mood of the Boardroom survey. The annual survey of about 150 business leaders – 125 of them being CEOs of major New Zealand companies. People like Port of Auckland boss Roger Gray, the head of Tower Insurance Paul Johnston and Forsyth Barr boss Neil Paviour-Smith. One of the things that comes out in the survey results is a ranking of the performances of our Cabinet ministers. How these business leaders think of each minister is doing. Top of the list is Erica Stanford – she's the highest ranking. Winston Peters is in second place and Chris Bishop is third. The Prime Minister is ranked 15th. In last year's survey, he was sixth. Even Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk, who sits outside cabinet, ranks higher than the PM in 10th place. The other big name outside the top 10 is Finance and Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis – the bosses at our biggest companies have ranked her in 13th place. Which is not good news for the Government. Because what's coming through loud and clear is that the business community has no faith that there is a plan to get the country “back on track”. We're way more than halfway through the Government's current term and our most senior business leaders are asking: “What is your plan Prime Minister?" I think this result out today is way worse for the Government than any political poll result so far. When you've got business leaders ranking the Finance Minister 13th and the Prime Minister 15th, this is a government in strife, isn't it? The reason I think this will hurt Christopher Luxon more than any of the other poll results he's managed to bat away or put a brave face on for, is that these are his people. Before he entered politics, he was one of them. He probably even took part in these surveys when he was chief executive at Air New Zealand. He's the people he's talking to when he goes on about signs of green shoots in the economy. These are the people he's talking to when he talks about getting runs on the board. The people who have said he's the 15th-best performing cabinet minister. The people he's talking to with his quarterly action plans, deliverables, KPIs, decision gates, and value chains. But his people still don't know what he's trying to do. They still don't know what his plan is. Which is why I think he will really be feeling this today. Because even his people don't get him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turns out you can get more out of Air New Zealand's flexichange service than previously expected. BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton recently revealed you can change the destination and date as part of the flexichange package on domestic flights - which can come in handy for unexpected events. Megan revealed how you can take advantage of this travel hack - read more here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hamilton's first domestic jet service in 25 years will connect thousands of people to Christchurch every year. Air New Zealand's Airbus A320 service will operate alongside two smaller planes, to be deployed to other parts of the regional network. From today the 171-seat domestic jet will leave Christchurch at 3pm five days a week and return from Hamilton just after 5pm. Waikato Chamber of Commerce CEO Don Good told Mike Hosking Air NZ wouldn't have put a plane on that route if there wasn't demand. He says they've seen the opportunity and believe that it will grow. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Megan recently tried to fly to Hawke's Bay, but her travel plans ground to a halt after rolling sea fog stopped the flight in its tracks. Air New Zealand requested that the passengers line up and get booked on new flights, but Megan checked on her Air NZ app and found a way forward - on a flight that left later that day. She revealed her latest travel hack - so everyone else could be prepared. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textLinking the Travel Industry is a business travel podcast where we review the top travel industry stories that are posted on LinkedIn by LinkedIn members.  We curate the top posts and discuss with them with travel industry veterans in a live session with audience members.  You can join the live recording session by visiting BusinessTravel360.comYour Hosts are Riaan van Schoor, Ann Cederhall and Aash ShravahStories covered on this podcast episode include - Korean Air is to purchase 103 Boeing aircraft in a deal worth approximately $36.2 billion.The OpenTravel Alliance becomes a member of Overture Maps Foundation, giving them access to the newly released Global Entity Reference System (GERS) to address standards for location data in travel distribution.In a heavily critiqued move, Tanzania introduces hefty passenger levies for travel to and from their country.Mexico city restores flight slots to US carriers, reversing a 2022 policy which favoured Mexican carriers.Ryanair increases staff rewards for catching passengers with oversized cabin bags.They are also not expanding on their presence in Belgium following a 150% increase in Belgian aviation tax.Air New Zealand reports a 14% drop in profits.The most engaged post of the week goes to Richard Valtr, founder at Mews, where he talks about how they now offer hotels a property management system which enables guests to use both Apple Wallet and Google Wallet as their room key.Extra Stories & Space NewsYou can subscribe to this podcast by searching 'BusinessTravel360' on your favorite podcast player or visiting BusinessTravel360.comThis podcast was created, edited and distributed by BusinessTravel360.  Be sure to sign up for regular updates at BusinessTravel360.com - Enjoy!Support the show

The sound of investor presentations and ASX releases can only mean one thing: results season has come again, bringing joy and cheer to all the good shareholders of the land – especially those who've invested in airlines. Qantas has posted another bumper profit as it looks to snap up even more A321XLRs, Virgin Australia has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a healthy result, Alliance is flying more hours than ever, and across the Tasman, even Air New Zealand is still in the black despite its many headaches. Jake and guest host Benjamin Foster unpack all the major airlines' results and take a look ahead to the prospects for 2026. Plus, it's the end of the line for Gold Coast Airport's light rail – what might replace the controversial project as the Olympics draw ever closer?

Air New Zealand's profit has dropped 15% in a year and there's more turbulence ahead. The national carrier reported a net profit of $126 million the year ended June compared with $146 million a year earlier. The national carrier is warning next year will probably be every bit as tough as the last one. Air New Zealand CEO, Greg Foran spoke to Lisa Owen.

Air Zealand's boss is predicting another challenging year ahead. Our national carrier has seen profits plunge. It's partly due to weak domestic demand and ongoing engine maintenance issues. Chief Executive Greg Foran told Mike Hosking it's also facing unavoidable price hikes for things like landing charges, wages, and engineering materials. He says they can't go down to Bunnings or Mitre 10 to buy a replacement toilet seat for a 787, although he wishes they could. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Friday 29th of August, we're changing the alcohol laws, making it easier to hold both on and off licenses. Common sense or no real change? Air New Zealand boss Greg Foran is in to talk their results and why we're seeing what we are when Qantas' numbers are through the roof. Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson try to make Mike more positive and talk about Tim's return from holiday and having to fill the boots left behind by Sir John Key as they Wrap the Week. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boss of Air Zealand says he's proud they've made even two cents of a dollar this year - as profits drop 13.7 percent. The airline's being hit hard by a sluggish domestic economy, with costs like landing charges, wages, and engineering material rising much faster than inflation. Outgoing CEO Greg Foran says he appreciates it's been a difficult few years. "Whether it was starting when Covid began and doing capital raises and then hurriedly having to restart the business, and then a parade of engine challenges and now we've got a few other headwinds - but you learn." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are being urged, again, to "break up with property". We are urged this way once every few years. It's based, not unreasonably, on the idea that we could take our money and make it work differently, if not more productively, than it does stuck in a house. The latest iteration comes from a bloke at Craigs Investment Partners, who suggests if you put $100 into a house, in 30 years it's worth $600. But if you had done it with shares, it would be worth $1,100. Not just that, but the country would be better off. Those dollars would have been out and about investing in stuff, growing stuff, creating jobs, opening markets, and making the world a better place. That may well be true. Trouble is, that's a long-term view and most of us don't have long term views. The view most of us have is: what's happened to New Zealand shares so far this year? Answer: they have gone backwards. In the year to date they are down 1.4%. Mind you, housing is hardly booming. And if you want a glass half full, shares in New Zealand in the last five years are up almost 10%. Houses are most certainly not up 10% in the past 5 years. It may change with the time. One child of ours started buying shares while at university. They are of the generation that believes they will never own a house. That's not true of course – they will, but they also have a portfolio. But the perception could be the key. If housing is perceived to be unobtainable, what is obtainable? Maybe shares. But credibility is also an issue. Shares can be blue chip or meme-type stock. You can invest, or you can punt. Stock can be priced to perfection, or it can be solid as a rock. You can be in Fisher and Paykel Healthcare when Covid arrives, or Air New Zealand when Covid arrives. It requires a lot, whereas a house is a roof and shelter and a thing you can show your mates and have a BBQ at. Houses are easy and they hardly ever lose you money over time. To get people to shift, especially when it comes to money, the pitch has to be compelling. In an uncertain, crazy world, is a stock market compelling? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's new CEO appointment isn't a shock within the sector, according to one expert. Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar will step up to replace Greg Foran in October. Forsyth Barr Head of Research Andy Bowley says he's unsure whether this appointment suggests a lack of international interest. "There's been a reasonable understanding that he was one of the leading - if not the leading - internal candidates. So in that regard, it's not necessarily a surprise." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand has unveiled its plan for its new flagship Koru Lounge at Auckland International Airport. Air New Zealand customer general manager Alisha Armstrong spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The news of the day, politically, is that surcharges are gone, as the Government's just banned them. You know what I'm talking about here, right? They're the little extra amount that you get pinged when you turn up at the dairy and you use your credit card, or you use your paywave - it's gone from May next year. The big sell behind this is basically that it's to help you with the cost of living crisis. Now, I hate to do this because I know you're thinking, "Oh, yay." And I'm totally gonna rain on that parade for you. Don't get excited, this is gonna fix nothing. You are still gonna end up paying that cost somehow, probably just through the cost of the bottle of milk that you're buying. Or your haircut, or your sushi or whatever it is - it's gonna be built into the price because the business still has the cost. Nothing is changing there. They've still got to pay that merchant fee. Now, a merchant fee is a very complicated set of charges which the business gets lumped with. And most businesses actually have no bloody idea what makes up that merchant fee. There's a fee from the credit card companies, there's a fee for moving money from the banks, there's the EFTPOS providers - the whole thing gets lumped into the merchant fee and that has not gone away. What's only gone away is the business's ability to be able to recover the cost of some of that through the surcharge. And by the way, the cost of that thing is actually quite big. I've read about one business - just one shop - that pays about $14,000 in a year just for that, just for the merchant fee, to be able to do business electronically. Now, what's going to happen if you go to that shop is, because that guy can't now pass it on to you with a 2 percent, 0.7 percent, 1 percent surcharge or whatever, he's simply going to add it to the cost of his product so that across the year, he makes that $14,000 back. Also, another reason why you shouldn't get excited about it is that this ban does not include anything that you buy online. So you're buying your Air New Zealand tickets? You're still gonna be paying that little $6 handling fee. You're buying some tickets for a concert from Ticketmaster? You're still paying that handling fee. Maybe you want to head along to Banksy? Yep, you're still gonna be paying yourself a nice little $8 handling fee. And the problem with that is that these are some of the most egregious examples, I would have thought, of surcharges just bearing no resemblance to reality - but they still slip through this. So instead of actually sorting out the backroom problems and the real gnarly issues - what has been charged by the banks and the EFTPOS companies and the credit card companies and really excessive surcharges - the Government's just taken the easy option and brought in a ban on the little stuff you buy from the dairy. Good headline. Unfortunately, though, just a charade. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand thinks its use of AI will help it avoid flight delays. Air New Zealand's chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar spoke to Corin Dann.

New Zealand airports and its national carrier may be suffering the winter blues in new data showing the punctuality of global air travel. The June figures base its rankings on flights arriving and departing within 15 minutes of schedule. Air New Zealand has dropped to tenth in the Asia Pacific region after sitting in the top five earlier this year. No airport in the country cracked the global top 20. Air New Zealand General Manager of Airports Kate Boyer told Heather du Plessis-Allan the seasons play a big part in this. She says it's impacted by the likes of de-icing, foggy days, and storms throughout winter. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Families are booking holidays a year in advance to get an affordable escape and airlines and accomodation providers are wise to people sneaking off a day or so before official school holidays, one travel agent told Checkpoint. Air New Zealand expects more than 745,000 to take to the skies over the july break; 465,000 domestic and 280,000 international travellers. Associate Minister for Education David Seymour has previously warned parent condoned truancy, like taking days off to bag cheap flights, could result in prosecution. Managing Director of World Travellers Motueka Silvana Gottini spoke to Lisa Owen.

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran has been in touch with the Air India to offer his support after a flight to London crashed soon after take off in the city of Ahmedabad. He spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In today's episode, at least 290 people have been killed when an Air India plane bound for London crashed minutes after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad, Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran has been in touch with the Air India to offer his support, we have our weekly political panel, and we cross the ditch to talk to our correspondent in Australia.

The aviation industry and climate change: what are contrails?  A 2022 IPCC report found that direct GHG emissions from the transport sector accounted for 23% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019. Road vehicles accounted for 70% of direct transport emissions, while 1%, 11%, and 12% of emissions came from rail, shipping, and aviation, respectively. As the mounting effects of climate change continue to be felt worldwide, the aviation industry is pioneering a method to reduce its contributions. Namely, it is focusing on efforts to curtail condensation trails – or contrails – which are fluffy, white cloud formations that sometimes appear as airplanes fly through the cold, humid, and icy parts of the atmosphere. Because they are a combination of soot, water vapor, and particulate matter (such as NOx), when aircrafts pass through these areas, they form cirrus clouds that absorb the radiation escaping from the surface, and, in turn, trap the heat. This phenomenon could account for around 35% of aviation's total contribution to climate change — that's about 1 to 2% of overall global warming! Together, these contrails roughly triple the total global warming impact of aviation compared to CO2 alone. Therefore, it is imperative that the aviation industry find solutions to reduce the production of contrails. What the industry has come up with: 3 solutions One method of reducing contrails consists of replacing traditional fuels with biofuels made from plant or animal biomass, waste, sugars and ethanol (corn). Sustainable jet fuels can produce 50%-70% fewer contrails according to research conducted by NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Jets using alternative fuels release fewer soot particles, thereby creating fewer ice crystal formations, which ultimately reduces contrail production by extension. Though biofuels may initially form larger crystals, they fall more quickly and melt in the warmer air below.The second method involves developing electric or hydrogen-powered commercial aircrafts. Hydrogen is an attractive alternative to traditional aircrafts because it can be burned without emitting CO2 and is widely available. These aircrafts would either burn liquid hydrogen directly into their engines, or use gaseous hydrogen in a fuel cell system. With fuel cells, the hydrogen creates an electrochemical reaction that produces electricity to charge the aircraft's batteries while in flight. A third method involves redirecting flights to avoid contrail-inducing zones. Between 2% and 10% of all flights create around 80% of the contrails, so researchers have started developing predictive models that would allow airlines to identify and avoid contrail regions similarly to how they plan to avoid turbulence. The cost is predicted to be $0.5/ ton of CO2 equivalent. Furthermore, only minor adjustments to the routes of a small fraction of airplane flights is required, making predictive models highly attractive and cost effective. Some ChallengesWhile biofuels have great potential, they come with their own set of challenges. First is the issue of land use and its effects on agriculture. Producing three billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel would require between 8 and 11 million acres of corn or 35 and 50 million acres of soybeans, depending on crop yields. This could impact food production and cost. Shifting to corn or soybean based fuels has also been found to produce significant adverse emissions impacts. Lastly, it's unclear whether sustainable fuels can meet the world's growing demand for aerial transportation.   While hydrogen is attractive, it has lower energy density than fossil fuels, meaning that a higher onboard fuel storage volume is needed to cover the same distance as current fossil fuel-powered aircrafts. In addition, H2-powered large passenger planes would require significant changes to aircraft design, making it less cost effective in the short term when RD&D costs are considered (development of fuel cell technology and liquid hydrogen tanks, aircraft research, hydrogen infrastructure, fleet output, etc). Industry experts anticipate that it will take 10 to 15 years to make these important advancements. Lastly, contrail prediction models rely on a variety of input data, including flight trajectories, aircraft and engine parameters, fuel characteristics, and weather data. However, the availability and accuracy of some of these data inputs is still a challenge, as no standardization exists. Who is our guest? Matteo Mirolo is Head of Policy and Strategy, Contrails at Breakthrough Energy, an organization founded by Bill Gates to spur innovation in clean energy and address climate change. Prior to that he was sustainable aviation policy manager at Transport & Environment (clean transport advocacy group). Mirolo is also a member of the sustainability advisory panel at Air New Zealand. ResourcesIPCC Sixth Assessment Report: TransportThe contribution of global aviation to anthropogenic climate forcing for 2000 to 2018BiofuelsNASA-DLR Study Finds Sustainable Aviation Fuel Can Reduce ContrailsHydrogen could power the next-gen aircraft of tomorrowLand-Use Impacts of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand ChallengeHow much biofuel would we need to decarbonise aviation?Hydrogen-powered aviationFurther readingAviation Contrails The missing policies on aviation emissions For a transcript of this episode, please visit https://climatebreak.org/eliminating-contrails-to-increase-aircraft-sustainability-with-matteo-mirolo/.

Air New Zealand is to operate a 171-seat Airbus service between Hamilton and Christchurch from 18 September.