Flightless: Air New Zealand is trying to fill domestic seats with a Grabaseat sale. Photo / Supplied
Flightless: Air New Zealand is trying to fill domestic seats with a Grabaseat sale. Photo / Supplied
Air New Zealand is encouraging Kiwis to explore their backyard with a flurry of $9 domestic flights this morning.
With 1000 cut-price flights across the country, the airline's chief revenue officer Cam Wallace said the Grabaseat sale is an opportunity for "savvy Kiwis" to "book a relaxing weekend away, catchsome autumn sun, or take the kids away to explore a new part of the country."
Also returning closer to home is its latest safety video offering, Journey to Safety.
After leading the charge to Japan for last year's Rugby World Cup, the new video follows Mr T the Takahe's journey to a DOC nesting sanctuary. It has all the straps, whistles and emergency exits you'd expect of a safety video, albeit delivered in a flying tree house. It also has the benefit of being only 3 minutes long. (Qantas, take note.)
"While it's light-hearted on the surface, it conveys a really important message," said Jodi Williams, the airline's GM of global brand.
"We're really proud of the work we're doing with DOC, and hope Kiwis and visitors alike will not only delight in our latest video, but take on the message behind it."
The airline has been working closely with DOC's native bird protection since 2012. More recently they have been helping fund predator eradication and biodiversity programmes across New Zealand's Great Walks.
This project to "bring back the birdsong" to the Great Walks along with a flurry of domestic airfares come at a time when New Zealanders and the rest of the world are anxious about international travel.
The widespread concerns of Covid-19 virus being spread via travel have led to all airlines removing and reducing services, particularly connections from Korea and mainland China. Last week's Grabaseat deals offering $70 flights to Australia were in response to the absence of air passengers on the normally busy route.
Now is not the time to hide in your treehouse: Air NZ's new video Journey to Safety. Photo / Supplied
"Like all airlines we have seen some softness in demand on routes like the Tasman where we now have some empty seats due to travellers mainly from Asian destinations not connecting between New Zealand and Australia."
This morning the Airline said it was halving its services to Samoa, flying just three services a week over a health directive from the Samoan Government.
While passengers and local governments are cautious about air travel, airlines like Air New Zealand are faced with the prospect of rethinking their international network. The repurposing of planes taken off other routes could see some exciting and unusual services floated. While some destinations are now off-limits to travellers, Kiwis could see more services open up possibilities around New Zealand and Australia.
To take a leaf from the new safety video: now's not a time to hide in a tree house, but explore your own backyard.
