Air New Zealand Welcomes Govt trans-Tasman Plan

Media release
20 August 2009

Air New Zealand Welcomes Government trans-Tasman Plan

The New Zealand Government’s plan for streamlining trans-Tasman border processes is welcome news for travellers and will further assist tourism growth between New Zealand and Australia.

“Today’s announcement can do great things for New Zealand tourism and make our country an even more appealing destination for Australians,” says Air New Zealand Deputy CEO Norm Thompson.

“Convenience is such an important motivator for people considering a short trip across the Tasman so maximising the time they can spend enjoying New Zealand rather than being stuck in an airport is great news for the tourism industry.”

Air New Zealand is already working closely with border agencies to help make plans announced today a reality.

“The initiatives will coincide with the airline’s own plans to next year introduce check-in kiosks for trans-Tasman travel,” says Mr Thompson.

“This work follows on from the outstanding success of our automated domestic check-in which has dramatically decreased the time it takes for passengers to get through the airport.

“We are currently working with New Zealand Customs and are meeting Prime Minister John Key early next month to brief him on our progress.”

Air New Zealand has for many years been a strong advocate for border agency improvements.

“The time spent by passengers in airports can in many cases be longer than the flight, so we’ve always lent our full support to initiatives such as the Australian Express Arrivals and Departures system and more recently, SmartGate, says Mr Thompson.

“In fact, we believe Air New Zealand passengers are the largest users of SmartGate in Australia as a result of our promotional efforts.”

ENDS

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