"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.