Air New Zealand "Pleased to Seat You" Tour Showcases New 777-200 Products for North American Travelers

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14, 2015 /CNW/ -- Air New Zealand today kicks off its "Pleased to Seat You" road trip across North America, showcasing two of the airline's most innovative seats and giving travelers a glimpse of the in-flight experience they can expect on Air New Zealand's newly refurbished 777-200 fleet.

• Premium Economy:  In the Premium Economy cabin, travelers can relax in comfortable and luxurious ink-colored leather seats with individual armrests and a leg rest with extendable foot support.
• Economy Skycouch™: The award-winning and innovative Economy Skycouch™ - a trio of seats which transforms into a flat, flexible space to stretch out and relax is particularly popular with couples or families.   

Traveling more than 7,000 miles, the Air New Zealand "Pleased to Seat You" Tour will be on the road Monday, September 14 through Friday, October 16. Consumers and media can experience the innovative and comfortable 777-200 seats during the below North American tour stops:

• Monday, September 14 – Corner of Robson & Burrard (Vancouver), Harbour Towers Hotel & Suites (Victoria)
• Tuesday, September 15 – Terry Fox Plaza (Vancouver)
• Wednesday, September 16 – Granville Square, on The Plaza (Vancouver)
• Wednesday, September 23 – CN Tower (Toronto)
• Monday, September 28 – Madison Square Park-Adjacent (Manhattan)
• Tuesday, September 29 – Bryant Park-Adjacent (Manhattan)
• Monday, October 5 – Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square (Washington, D.C.)
• Tuesday, October 6 – Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square (Washington, D.C.)
• Monday, October 12 – West Village (Dallas)
• Tuesday, October 13 – The Shops at Legacy (Dallas)
• Wednesday, October 14 – The Domain (Austin)
• Thursday, October 15 – Details Coming Soon (Houston)
• Friday, October 16 – The Woodlands Mall (Houston)

Fans who stop by one of the above "Pleased to Seat You" Tour locations during the designated date and time, and have their photo taken in the seats by an Air New Zealand brand ambassador, have a chance to win two roundtrip tickets to New Zealand via Vancouver or Houston on Air New Zealand*. Fans are encouraged to join the conversation using the hashtag #AirNZOnTour.

For more information on the Air New Zealand "Pleased to Seat You" Tour and Sweepstakes, please visit www.airnz.ca/seat-tour.

The refurbished Boeing 777-200 will operate Air New Zealand's Vancouver-Auckland and Houston-Auckland routes, offering greater comfort and connectivity to New Zealand and Australia for North American customers. With flights departing from Vancouver and Houston early in the evening and arriving into Auckland early in the morning, the convenient overnight service allows for same-day connections to 24 domestic New Zealand and eight Australian gateways.

Vancouver

• Air New Zealand will move to a daily return service on the popular Vancouver-Auckland route over the peak northern winter period between mid-December 2015 and late-January 2016.
• Customers flying from Vancouver can now book Air New Zealand's revolutionary Economy Skycouch™, as the route will be consistently operated by refurbished Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from October 25, 2015.

Houston

• Air New Zealand will operate up to five return services per week on the Houston-Auckland route, with flights commencing December 15, 2015.
• Star Alliance partner United Airlines, which has a large Houston-based hub, will code share into Houston from numerous North American cities, offering greater connectivity for customers traveling from East Coast, Midwest and Southern states.

For more information on Air New Zealand's award-winning products and routes, please visit www.airnewzealand.ca.

*Special terms and conditions apply. Please visit www.airnz.ca/seat-tour for official rules, terms and conditions.

Issued by Air New Zealand. For more information contact:

Charli Sharp, MWW Group, [phone]

About Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand has been connecting travellers for 75 years, and operates, on average, 500 flights a day within a network of 51 cities in 17 countries including 22 destinations within New Zealand. North American services include non-stop flights to New Zealand from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston (commencing 15 December 2015), Honolulu and Vancouver, B.C., and Los Angeles non-stop to the Cook Islands and London.

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca in Brazil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,330 airports in 192 countries.

For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow Star Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn or Instagram.

SOURCE Air New Zealand