Laura's flying high with her business idea

A Havelock North Student has spent a day sitting in one of the biggest chairs in the country - the CEO of Air New Zealand's.

Woodford House student Laura Russell was one of 10 students chosen from hundreds of applicants to spend a day in the life of Air New Zealand CEO, Rob Fyfe.

The Year 13 student earned the opportunity when she suggested a strategic plan about transporting Kiwi kids to the future, that she would execute if she were CEO of the country's airline.

Laura, with a keen business mind, enjoyed getting a first-hand look behind the scenes.

"It really was a valuable insight into how Air New Zealand was run and what it would be like to be in the business world," she said.

"It was very much a learning experience. I really enjoyed actually meeting the people at the top of Air New Zealand because we always see the pilots, as passengers ... It was a pretty amazing prize."

Students spent the day in Auckland earlier this month participating in a range of activities including a leadership session with Mr Fyfe, an operations talk with the airline's chief pilot, lunch with three Vodafone Warriors and a social media challenge at the airline's design lab.

Mr Fyfe said students "blew him away" in the social media challenge, with great suggestions for a smartphone application and ways to enhance the in-flight experience for teenagers.

"It's a real privilege for me to be able to spend some time with these students, hear their ideas and give them a taste of the aviation industry and what it's like to lead an award-winning airline."

Students also received tours of the Auckland engineering base and a Boeing 777-200.