The airline famous for its safety videos has surprised hundreds of passengers with Christmas Day magic at 30,000 feet.
As families around the world gathered for festive feasts, hundreds of travellers prepared to board a flight that would see them skip Christmas Day altogether.
Passengers on NZ7 from San Francisco to Auckland took off on 24 December, ready to travel on a 12-hour flight that would see them cross the international date line and land on 26 December – missing out on even the tiniest twinkle of Christmas Day.
Keenly aware of this, Air New Zealand’s crew pulled out all the stops to transform the Dreamliner into a Christmas wonderland, bringing a one-of-a-kind Christmas celebration to the skies.
Passengers were delighted by a dazzling onboard illumination and were surprised by moments of magic across the flight, adding festive magic to the cabin interior.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran says the airline wanted to create a special surprise to bring festive joy to its customers this year.
“Every detail was designed to bring the magic of Christmas to life, even at 30,000 feet. It’s our way of spreading some Air New Zealand manaaki to one lucky flight full of festive travellers this year. What a terrific way to celebrate Christmas in the skies,” he said.
Air New Zealand’s Grace Blewitt says the goal was to make spirits bright for passengers on this time-hopping journey, inspired by the airline’s Christmas campaign (see below).
“The holidays are a time to come together with loved ones, and we know missing Christmas Day can clip the wings of that festive feeling. So, we decided to sleigh expectations and create a sky-high celebration like no other, sprinkling some magic on this journey,” she said.
“Our incredible team lit up the cabin interiors with a festive light display, taking travellers on a journey from a snowy northern hemisphere Christmas to the sunny summer beach Christmas in Aotearoa.
“Passengers were treated to a Christmas feast, featuring a holiday menu that included a traditional Christmas roast with succulent turkey, sweet potato mash, and a decadent Christmas yule log for dessert.
“Our holidaymakers also received a set of thoughtful gifts to commemorate the unique journey. Among the surprises were a custom-designed Christmas tree decoration and a charming aircraft-shaped Christmas cookie as sweet souvenirs to remember the once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
