Innovation has always played an important part in the corporate culture of Air New Zeland. In that sense, the carrier is the equivalent of Southwest in the long-haul market. Their funny in-flight safety demo, their enhanced dinner services in Economy class or in-flight concierges are some of the recent innovations that the carrier has put in place to improve the customer experience, especially as the client spends around twelve hours inside a small cabin. These efforts for innovation are especially remarkable in an industry not known by its innovation throughout the last decades. As the director of marketing of Air New Zealand recently said, "We like to look at what the other airlines are doing in their marketing and then... don't do that."
Two weeks ago, Air New Zealand did it again. They realized that Economy passengers shouldn´t be forgotten and that families flying together represent a large portion of their customer base. The carriers started investing money two years ago to design their own aircraft seating product, forgoing the standard Boeing options. The results? The coach seats have completely been redesigned, including eleven rows of three seats on each side of the cabin dubbed "Skycouches" that are available for families and couples who want the ability to buy an entire row. Couples who buy the third seat will only need to pay half the price for the third seat.
This new concept might just change how other long-haul airlines look at the coach cabin in the future. Even Boeing, the airline manufacturer, has stated that this represents the future of air travel.
Would this turn up to be a profitable move for the company? That´s hard to say in an industry with very narrow margin profits, but those companies who listen to their customers and take into account their preferences end up prevailing. With this new proposal, having a restful twelve hour flight from Los Angeles or London will be easier for families travelling with Air New Zealand.
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