Searching questions and soft seats

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX


Air New Zealand had considered using San Francisco as its US hub rather than Los Angeles, the company's chief executive said yesterday.

Ralph Norris was responding to the second of two questions from the floor at the company's annual meeting in Christchurch, about Air NZ's ability to deal with overzealous security at LA International.

The first questioner asked how long passengers would be subjected to LA's "draconian" systems, saying he was tired of Air NZ pandering to "paranoid Americans".

In reply, Norris deadpanned: "I don't think I have anything to add to that."

The second questioner asked if it was time to abandon LA in favour of somewhere a little more user friendly.

"This is a major issue for Air NZ and all carriers," Norris said.

The options were to fly through the East or to use San Francisco, which had been considered because it offered a better airport.

But Norris said the LA-to-London sector was just too lucrative, as 32 per cent of passengers going to Britain boarded at LA International.

However, he was able to deliver some good news for London-bound passengers - as of yesterday US authorities had relented and would allow first class and business class passengers to go back to using the lounges while in transit, rather than having to clear customs.

"And we're still in discussions with them to ease up on some of the surrounding issues," said Norris.

The security issue was one of the few to prompt a question from the fewer than 100 shareholders who turned up to the meeting - compared with the hundreds who made their way to Auckland's Ellerslie racecourse last year.

Those attending were rewarded with a glimpse of the new premium class seating that will become standard on Boeing 747s and the new Boeing 777s - large fully reclining seats with a separate ottoman and footrest.

The seats convert into a fully flat 1.98m-long bed, which some of the shareholders were keen to try out.

Clambering up for a test was a little too much for one woman, however.

"Hell no, I'm not going to try and get up there," she told the Air NZ assistant.

"I'm too damn old to go anywhere any more anyway. I only came here for the cup of tea."