Air NZ tests blockchain, China drops North Korea flights and more

Air New Zealand joins blockchain venture
Air New Zealand has joined Star Alliance partner Lufthansa in partnering with Swiss-based company Winding Tree to help develop the world’s first travel marketplacethat uses the blockchain technology behind cryptocurrencies. Winding Tree's founder and chief executive cfficer, Maksim Izmaylov, says the company is offering a decentralised alternative to existing travel distribution services. It plans to launch its service on February 18 using a token called Lif.

Banks, shipping companies and others also exploring the potential of blockchain technology, which offers high security and tracable transactions without the need for a centralised clearing house. Air New Zealand chief digital officer Avi Golan says blockchain may offer a streamlined way to sell airfares and services such as hotels and rental cars as well as insurance, cargo and baggage tracking.

“In removing complexity from the sales chain, customers benefit from reduced transactional costs, and airlines benefit from swift and secure sharing of information,” he says.

Other recent Air New Zealand high-tech innovations include its artificial intelligence-backed chatbot Oscar, who helps customers with online and mobile app queries, and social robot Chip, who assisted customers with check in at Sydney Airport earlier this year.

In a separate move this week, Air New Zealand also announced it had entered a tree-planting venture with the government to offset carbon emissions from air travel.

Canton route boosts Christchurch
Christchurch Airport says a more than a third of passengers on China Southern Airlines' "Canton route" direct flight from Guangzhou come from outside of China, underscoring the importance of global networks. Chief aeronautical and commercial officer Justin Watson says the 787 Dreamliner service has carried more than 120,000 passengers in the first two years.

"This includes more than 30,000 Chinese visitors, each of whom spent on average $3000 dollars during their stay.” he says.  “In addition, China Southern’s strong network and connections to Asia and Europe make the 'Canton route. service highly appealing."

China Southern's 'dark sky' airbridge at Christchurch Airport

Christchurch is New Zealand’s fastest growing entry point for Chinese visitors and China Southern's share has increased from 34% to 60%. It operates five flights a week, increasing to daily over the Chinese New Year period. The South Island's major international airport will get another boost next week with the launch of Cathay Pacific's Hong Kong-Christchurch non-stop service.

Air China ceases North Korea service
Air China flew its last Beijing-Pyongyang flight on November 20. Air China had converted this summer seasonal service back to year-round with two weekly flights planned for the 2017/18 winter season. That service was temporarily suspended from November 14 with no resumption date. Bookings were also removed earlier this month. The only subsequent flights were on November 17 and November 20 for a high-level envoy on a four-day visit. Air China first operated the Beijing-Pyongyang route in January 2008, initially offering year-round flights.

Alaska drops Cuba flights
Alaska Airlines will end its service to Cuba on January 22, 2018. The Los Angeles-Havana route, which uses a Boeing 737-900 aircraft, is the only scheduled nonstop link to Cuba from US West Coast.

Qantas-Sri Lankan codeshare
Qantas and Sri Lankan Airlines will operate a codeshare on six new destinations, including one to New Zealand. From December 18, Sri Lankan Airlines will adopt the QF code on its Colombo-Bangkok route (three times daily) as well as Colombo-Hong Kong (five times weekly). Qantas will adopt the UL code on its Melbourne-Sydney, Melbourne-Brisbane, Melbourne-Adelaide and Melbourne-Auckland routes.

Poland resumes Singapore service
LOT Polish Airlines will resume flights to Singapore and Warsaw on May 15 next year. This comes after 23 years without a service. LOT will operate Boeing 787-8 aircraft on the Warsaw-Singapore route three times a week, increasing to four times from July 2. It will be LOT’s only service to Southeast Asia.

Kuwait’s Israeli ban upheld
A court in Frankfurt, Germany, ruled Kuwait Airways was within its rights to refuse to transport an Israeli because of his citizenship. The passenger had sued the airline for discrimination after it refused to fly him from Frankfurt to Bangkok via Kuwait City in 2016. Meanwhile, a parliamentary state secretary in the Justice Ministry, Christian Lange, has appealed to Chancellor Angela Merkel to advocate a ban on Kuwait Airways' operations in Germany.

US travel ban moves
The US Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to fully reinstate its travel restrictions on residents of six Muslim-majority countries. This is the latest move in a legal battle over entry to the US that has raged since the Trump administration’s first days. Earlier this month, the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals, in San Francisco, allowed part of the latest ban, which the government says it formulated after careful deliberation among national-security authorities, to take effect while lawsuits challenging its validity proceed. Lower courts had previously blocked all or part of the administration’s two temporary travel bans, which expired before the Supreme Court could review their legality.

Public rates Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines is the only airline to make the top 10 in a new survey of global brands by UK market research firm YouGov. The list is based on the most-highly-recommended (to friends and colleagues) brands among 1600-plus. The airline came sixth with its reputation for customer service and global reach. Financial services company USAA topped the list, followed by Band-Aid, Amazon.com, John Deere and Netflix.

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