The long haul flight to Japan is a breeze in Air NZ’s comfortable Business Premier seating. Video / Air New Zealand
Growing up, there’s a high chance the job of “taste-tester” at an ice cream or chocolate factory seemed like a dream job to you.
If that is the case, Air New Zealand is offering your dream job to five fortunate Kiwis.
The airline has launched a competition to find fivetaste-testers for their onboard snacks, as part of a marketing campaign named the “Great Kiwi Snack Off”.
In April, the airline held a similar competition to decide on what snacks to offer on board. More than 400 suppliers applied, according to the airline’s chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty.
A shortlist shared in April included items such as “Kiwi onion dip with veggie dippers”, “L&P gummies” and “Lemon meringue pie flavoured popcorn”.
The airline will revamp the in-flight snack menu before the end of the year.
The airline’s official shortlist includes 30 suppliers, Geraghty said, but still needs to be whittled down. Given how people have responded to the campaign, the airline wanted everyday Kiwis to be taste testers she added.
“What’s become really clear through this process is Kiwis are passionate about snacks, so why not give a few of the country’s most enthusiastic foodies a chance to be snacksperts and have their say on what we serve onboard,” she said.
Finalists had been vetted to ensure their products met key requirements. Since some aircraft have just 15 minutes to turn around before the next flight, snacks must be easy to transport, serve and clean up and not require heating.
Approximately 1200 snacks are loaded onto an aircraft each day, meaning they must be small too.
Applicants can be any age, according to the airline but must be able to make the tasting day in Auckland on October 16.
Auckland residents will have parking or transport provided for them, while the airline said it would cover flights and transport to the head office for those who live outside of the city.
Applicants who have dietary requirements or allergies are welcome to apply, according to the competition website, but must state this on the online application.
