Domestic duopoly
the ground probably want the same in the cabin. After much tweaking, both Air New Zealand and Qantas recently announced inflight wi-fi is being tested and on its way this year. Both airlines said their respective delays were because of waiting for satellite tech to reach a service level that Netflix streamers and the like would be comfortable with. Qatar Airways is going one step further and will this summer launch onboard broadband from Inmarsat, offering customers onthe-ground speeds mid-flight. But connectivity can be used to enhance traditional Inflight Entertainment (IFE). Carriers like Singapore Airlines and Qatar have launched apps that help create pre-selected favourites lists, and control the seat-back IFE system – all using their personal electronic devices. New Zealand’s regions hailed the 2015 arrival of Jetstar’s smaller 50-seat Bombardier Q300s fleet in the first major shake-up of regional aviation in decades, with the Qantas-owned budget carrier providing some muchneeded competition on certain routes to and from Nelson, Napier, New Plymouth and Palmerston North. Across 2016 Statistics New Zealand data showed a 5.4 per cent decrease in the cost of domestic air travel, which along with lower oil prices was influenced by added competition on these routes. Although Jetstar initially considered flights to and from Hamilton, Rotorua, Tauranga and Invercargill, a spokesperson for the carrier confirmed the airline is not expanding domestic operations any time soon, although the airline was happy with how the established routes were performing. Better still, the competition has ‘‘grown the pie’’, according to estimates from Infometrics, as not all of Jetstar’s new passengers have come at Air New Zealand’s expense: the lower prices have put more frequent air travel in reach for a greater number of consumers.
Seat squeeze, but it’s not all bad
Low-cost carriers are notorious for squeezing passengers in to every last spare inch of cabin space and are partly culpable for encouraging full service carriers to do the same. In fact Jetstar this month announced it will cram in six more seats to a total of 189 for each of the Airbus A320s it flies the New Zealand skies with. Don’t worry, your knees won’t be any more squished than normal as seat pitches will remain the same and the cabin rejig even means more lockers for cabin bags. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand is also introducing new seats, aimed to encourage you to pick the oft-derided middle seat. From next year passengers in the middle seat of the carrier’s Airbus A320 and A321neo can enjoy an extra 3 centimetres of wiggle room, while the aisle and window seats only get an increase of 1cm.
Not only can Kiwis now fly for longer before changing planes, the number of destinations available with just one stop is also growing.
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