Score one for protectionism, and minus several ranks of the economic freedom index for New Zealand, after the Government intervenes to prevent a Canadian fund from buying into Auckland airport. When the market drops by 2% after a new protectionist law is created it should be obvious to everyone the impact of ham-fisted interventionist Government …
Continue reading “Ham-fisted intervention in markets is dull thinking”
The USA’s Transportation Security Agency has a blog – and it is a pretty good one as well. Check it out. The TSA are the folk that man the security checkpoints and examine your. They have a great post talking about theft by TSA officers, and a page about shoes.
There’s a right way and a wrong way to get 13 people off your flight and on to another one. The right way is to have an auction, where you gradually increase the incentives to deplane, starting with an additional free flight (which was the end offer by Clueless Pacific Blue), and adding flights, cash …
What can you say – is there any other airline in the world doing this sort of stuff? Air NZ’s grab-a-plane promo is an excellent idea with superb execution. It won’t last forever, so I’ve grabbed some screenshots. Here’s the ad:
Great: AirNZ runs a giant charity Auction each year Dumb: using Sellmefree as the vehicle. Here, for example, is 2 month’s worth of Business Class travel for two people. It was added 3 days ago, and should be attracting a bunch of traffic. The value of this to the right buyer is big. It costs …
It’s simple. First – Use the giant NYTimes as your blog vehicle, and be part of an existing blog Second- Be a well known and followed writer – Pico Iyer Third – Pick a topic we all love to hate – Airlines and finally – start your blog by telling a bunch of Americans that …
Expedia – the world’s largest travel agent, and a site I used a lot, err, last century, has finally arrived in New Zealand. Here’s a quick review. That’s a mere 11 years after being founded by Microsoft in 1996 – nice to know we are important. It’s a classic case of the big boys discounting …
So Singapore airlines is going to have 14 first class suites, and an enhanced business class (also on their 777’s) on their A380 which will be plying the Sydney to Singapore route. That’s cool, and perhaps the quietness of the plane may tempt some of the corporate jet crowd back to commercial. Luxury cabins, however, …
That’s the second part of the tree on page 7 of the NZ Institute report. It shows total annual benefits of $165-$335m in increased exports from decent broadband allowing better telepresence. Telepresence I guess is defined by the authors as basically video conferencing with big screens and higher resolution. To work it out the authors …
Continue reading “NZInstitute BB report: Telepresence growth benefits are limited”
Excellent marketing from Air NZ – who once again demonstrate that there are some very smart people that are being unleashed within their domestic team. Air NZ held a fashion shw in the sky, complete with Rachel Hunter in attendance. Here is one of the eight models strutting one of 30 designer’s ware. Meanwhile America’s …
Continue reading “Air NZ does it with models, Southwest goes prude”
I can’t help comparing Air NZ and Telecom. They face very similar circumstances, and yet are reacting very differently. Both are ex Government owned, now private. Air NZ is quasi-private of course. Both have a public-good role – to provide a network to the population.Both have a profit motive, and both benefit from quasi-monopoly position …
They’ve mentioned this before about this before… and now it looks like AirNZ is going to try it. Economy class bunks. From 2010. “One concept showed berths stacked three-high in a herringbone layout along the sides, and another row stacked down the middle of the cabin. This is something that will allow tourism to NZ …
Continue reading “Economy class sleeping – emerging reality?”
Chicago’s OHare airport is ripping out pay phones and replacing them with power sockets, chairs and counters. Bless them – I’m sick of wandering around (usually american) airports looking for power sockets. Disposable income for “Managers” is largest in Saudi Arabia, small in the USA and generally better in third world countries than first world. …
Continue reading “pay phones, funny money, income and Telecom”
About time – we’ve aways been able to do this with travel agents, and now Qantas lets you schedule a flight and then commit later. Unfortunately there is a $25 deposit, which you lose if you do not commit. It is unclear whether you lose this if you move the flight. (So it isn’t perfect …
Great Headline: Air NZ reverses plan to tighten 737 seating I’d love to blame the blogosphere… but the airline touts passengers ad travel agents as those responsible for pushing back. There are still a few planes that will remain cramped though…
Lance Wiggs 