China Eastern Airlines is to start regular scheduled services to Shanghai from Auckland over summer in a challenge to Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand has again defended what the airline charges on its regional routes, saying profits are falling on its provincial network.

Air New Zealand has sold its cabin interiors and corporate jet fitout business, saying it has "divested at the right time".

Air New Zealand has sold its cabin interiors and corporate jet fitout business to a British-based company for an undisclosed sum.

More New Zealanders are set to head to the United States with 56,000 more airline seats next year and predictions fares will fall on increasingly competitive routes across the Pacific.

Ancillary revenue on top of airline ticket prices has soared by 1200 per cent in the last seven years.

The Herald has compared the cost of flights, bus and car prices in the North Island after Air NZ faced criticism last week for the price of its regional airfares.

Struggling Australian flag carrier Qantas has posted a huge annual net loss but CEO Alan Joyce insists better days lie ahead.

Air New Zealand celebrated its third consecutive year of strong earnings yesterday by declaring a special 10c per share dividend and painting a positive outlook for the year ahead.

These are momentous times for Air New Zealand. Its extremely good health was confirmed yesterday by the announcement of a 45 per cent rise in annual after-tax profit to $262 million.

John Key has spoken to Air NZ about its expensive regional airfares after the government-controlled carrier's profits rose for a third year in a row.

In its heyday, the Boeing 747 was hailed for its fuel efficiency but comparatively now is a gas guzzler, consuming fuel at the rate of 10 tonnes an hour, writes Grant Bradley.

Air New Zealand is set to announce a sharp increase in profit this week which the airline will welcome as a shift in focus from the negative publicity that has hit it this year.

When Air NZ cabin crew came across a man lying who'd collapsed outside Auckland Airport on Saturday, they knew exactly what to do.

Total visitor spending in New Zealand grew by 11 per cent to $7.1 billion in the past year, driven by strong growth from the United States, Germany and China.

International airlines flew more than 1000 at-risk or ineligible people into New Zealand in a year, Immigration New Zealand figures reveal.

The strategic alliance between Air NZ and Singapore Airlines has been approved and will result in 100,000 extra seats a year on the Auckland-Singapore route.

"I did think, 'that's a bit close for comfort'." An airliner about to land at Auckland climbed sharply to avoid a potential collision with another plane taking off.

An Air New Zealand passenger who was left stranded in Hawaii last week says he is surprised the airline hasn't made more recommendations, after an investigation into the incident.

Air NZ will set up a special team to fly overseas to deal with large scale passenger disruptions following a review into the stranding of 227 passengers in Hawaii for days.

Aviation reporter Grant Bradley compares the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and its new arch-rival, the Airbus A350XWB.

Air New Zealand passengers stranded for days in Hawaii are "gobsmacked" at revelations crew were out drinking, making them unfit for duty if the plane had been made airworthy.

Air NZ crew assigned to fly stranded passengers home from Hawaii are understood to have been too drunk to go on duty at one stage even if their plane had been airworthy.

As weary passengers from Air New Zealand Flight NZ09 came though the arrival gates at Auckland Airport yesterday, more stories emerged of their 56-hour ordeal.

Frustrated passengers have slammed Air NZ for poor customer service, lack of communication and sympathy, as another plane is delayed overnight in Hong Kong.