Air New Zealand

A flight attendant fired by Air New Zealand for her conduct on a flight between Auckland and Rarotonga has lost her claim for unjustified dismissal.

Passengers on an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland were forced to leave the plane shortly after boarding at Christchurch Airport this morning after they were exposed to fumes from de-icing.

Air New Zealand is looking a good sale prospect for the Government if it continues to get bogged down in political debate with the Labour and Green parties over the partial float of state-owned energy assets.

Stand-by fares - which were first introduced for Otago students four years ago and then expanded - will be permanently grounded, Air New Zealand has announced.

Extra services to Queenstown during summer proved popular for both Air New Zealand and Jetstar.

Air New Zealand remains confident in its Boeing 787 Dreamliner programme, even though the aircraft has been grounded by US safety authorities.

New Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon says the airline's domestic fleet will be boosted by an extra A320 aircraft this year as he focuses heavily on its network within this country.

A trial service between Christchurch, Mt Cook and Queenstown will be launched by Air New Zealand tomorrow, designed to meet high-season demand and provide tourists with a convenient way to visit several of the South Island's key tourism regions.

Air New Zealand says it is already benefiting from The Hobbit, even before the movie's wide release.

Air New Zealand is pulling out of its Hong Kong to London service from March next year, a move that is expected to shed around 70 jobs.