Long-Haul Travel Experience

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Message Long-Haul Travel Experience Air New Zealand provides passenger and cargo services within the country and to and from Australia, the South Pacific, Asia, North America, and the United Kingdom. Over the past decade, the airline has recovered from near bankruptcy and become a strong regional competitor. In 2009, Air New Zealand served more than 12 million passengers, Condé Nast Traveler ranked it as the No. 2 long-haul leisure carrier worldwide, and it won the Air Transport World Airline of the Year Award. The airline is also slated to be Boeing’s first customer of the long-awaited Dreamliner 787-9, due in 2013. To prepare for the launch of its new Boeing 777-300 aircraft in November 2010, Air New Zealand decided to scrutinize its current long-haul offering. The company asked IDEO to rethink the entire experience — from the cabin’s layout and equipment (such as the seating in economy and business class) to the in-flight service and entertainment. We also took a look at the customer experience inside and beyond the terminal. Drawing on its human-centered design expertise, IDEO quickly determined that any service provided by a national carrier should reflect the culture of the country it represents. The team spent a month in the North and South Islands, where it gained a deep appreciation for New Zealand-style customer service, which is generous, humble, and thoroughly democratic. This research and its findings led to a series of collaborative workshops, the construction of full-scale seating prototypes, and the creation of a video outlining new service scenarios and opportunities. Together, Air New Zealand and IDEO revamped the airline’s equipment, service, and technology strategy: Reconfigurable seats in coach allow travelers one of two desired experiences, connection and socialization or solitude and retreat, a level of luxury that was previously reserved for first-class passengers. New policies and procedures give travelers more control of their space, of their time, of meeting their demands and ultimately over having an enjoyable and memorable flight. (The airline’s service strategy, on board and on the ground, celebrates the people, rather than the landscape, of New Zealand, giving crew and passengers opportunities to interact and form meaningful connections.) Best-in-class video and in-flight entertainment systems let travelers to share their experiences, photos, and recommendations with others, to make plans and preserve memories after they disembark. “[IDEO] reminded us that, with the world’s longest hauls, we had a greater obligation than any other airline to give passengers more,” Ed Sims, Air New Zealand’s GM of International Airline said. “We wanted a creative agency to really challenge our own creative talent, [and] IDEO was a standout. [With their help], we’ve reinvented everything we do and given choice and control back to the passenger.” http://www.ideo.com/work/long-haul-travel-experience/

Air New Zealand provides passenger and cargo services within the country and to and from Australia, the South Pacific, Asia, North America, and the United Kingdom. Over the past decade, the airline has recovered from near bankruptcy and become a strong regional competitor. In 2009, Air New Zealand served more than 12 million passengers, Condé Nast Traveler ranked it as the No. 2 long-haul leisure carrier worldwide, and it won the Air Transport World Airline of the Year Award. The airline is also slated to be Boeing’s first customer of the long-awaited Dreamliner 787-9, due in 2013.

To prepare for the launch of its new Boeing 777-300 aircraft in November 2010, Air New Zealand decided to scrutinize its current long-haul offering. The company asked IDEO to rethink the entire experience — from the cabin’s layout and equipment (such as the seating in economy and business class) to the in-flight service and entertainment. We also took a look at the customer experience inside and beyond the terminal.

Drawing on its human-centered design expertise, IDEO quickly determined that any service provided by a national carrier should reflect the culture of the country it represents. The team spent a month in the North and South Islands, where it gained a deep appreciation for New Zealand-style customer service, which is generous, humble, and thoroughly democratic. This research and its findings led to a series of collaborative workshops, the construction of full-scale seating prototypes, and the creation of a video outlining new service scenarios and opportunities.

Together, Air New Zealand and IDEO revamped the airline’s equipment, service, and technology strategy: Reconfigurable seats in coach allow travelers one of two desired experiences, connection and socialization or solitude and retreat, a level of luxury that was previously reserved for first-class passengers. New policies and procedures give travelers more control of their space, of their time, of meeting their demands and ultimately over having an enjoyable and memorable flight. (The airline’s service strategy, on board and on the ground, celebrates the people, rather than the landscape, of New Zealand, giving crew and passengers opportunities to interact and form meaningful connections.) Best-in-class video and in-flight entertainment systems let travelers to share their experiences, photos, and recommendations with others, to make plans and preserve memories after they disembark.

“[IDEO] reminded us that, with the world’s longest hauls, we had a greater obligation than any other airline to give passengers more,” Ed Sims, Air New Zealand’s GM of International Airline said. “We wanted a creative agency to really challenge our own creative talent, [and] IDEO was a standout. [With their help], we’ve reinvented everything we do and given choice and control back to the passenger.”

Giving choice and control back to airline passengers

Air New Zealand provides passenger and cargo services within the country and to and from Australia, the South Pacific, Asia, North America, and the United Kingdom. Over the past decade, the airline has recovered from near bankruptcy and become a strong regional competitor. In 2009, Air New Zealand served more than 12 million passengers, Condé Nast Traveller ranked it as the No. 2 long-haul leisure carrier worldwide, and it won the Air Transport World Airline of the Year Award. The airline is also slated to be Boeing’s first customer of the long-awaited Dreamliner 787-9, due in 2013.

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Project date: 2009