KEY POINTS:
Women business travellers have not always been the first thought in the minds of the airlines when designing and promoting their services.
The bulk of airline advertising has involved beautiful women - not exactly targeted towards the working women en route to a meeting in London.
But Air New Zealand, which is trying to win over the corporate client, had women business travellers at the forefront of its mind when designing its flat beds.
Ed Sims, group general manager of international airline at Air New Zealand, says the airline has taken a leaf out of the book of the Hilton chain.
The Hilton allows female guests to order room service and pay the same price as they would in the hotel restaurant, so that they don't feel guilty about eating in their room.
The lie-flat beds in Business Premier have been designed so that you have no one else in sight for the benefit of that female corporate traveller who has been "very badly served", over the years, says Sims.
The airline realises that women travellers do not want to find themselves sitting or indeed lying next to a plump, chatty salesman from Iowa so it is trying to avoid these situations.
The refurbished fleet's lie-flat beds is the most significant contribution made to New Zealand long haul flights, says Sims.
With the lie flat beds, Air New Zealand is addressing one of the biggest gripes of all corporate travellers. Arriving in a city for a meeting and feeling as if you've done a few rounds with Mike Tyson, is not pleasant for anyone.
"It gives people an option of having a genuine night's sleep... so you are fully comfortable doing a full day's work," he says.
Sims says the airline is also concentrating on making sure it has the right fleet for the frequent traveller. As well as 777s, it has committed to buying a number of 787 Dreamliner Boeing planes. Thanks to the space in the aircraft, it will make business travel more enjoyable because the structure of the aircraft is such that you feel as though you are travelling at 6000ft when you are actually flying at 40,000 altitude.
This will reduce jet lag dramatically, says Sims.
"It's a healthier experience," he says.
Another area is the networks. By adding Hong Kong as an alternative stop-off point to London, Air New Zealand now allows passengers the option of combatting jet lag by continuously flying in the same direction, following the sun eastwards over the USA, the UK and back over Hong Kong.
Some of the airline's recent network additions also offer good connections to Europe, with Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa over Shanghai, United over San Francisco and, from November, with Air Canada from Vancouver.
"There are now so many more options for Air New Zealand travellers to get to Europe than just over LA. There is a real corporate network we have not had historically," says Sims.
New routes to places like San Francisco and the prospect of Vancouver have been well received by the business community and leisure travellers alike.
While the Vancouver route, which kicks off in November, was just meant to last until the end of the summer, the demand has been so strong, the service will now be offered all-year round. If you find yourself at LA airport - never a pleasant experience - there is now an international Air New Zealand business lounge where waiters will appear and offer you lamb cutlets or baked beans on toast and a nice glass of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc.
-Detours, HoS
