Air NZ ‘s incredible transformation to the world’s best practice has been documented in an article in NZ’s The Post by Kevin Norquay based on an interview with Airlineratings.com’s Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas.
The Air NZ feature starts thus:
Air New Zealand is dwarfed by global aviation giants in fleet size, passengers carried and sheer economic muscle, yet consistently defies power and location to soar onto the best airline podium.
It wasn’t always that way, AirlineRatings.com editor-in-chief Geoffrey Thomas tells the Sunday Star-Times from Perth. Air New Zealand was last year rated top airline by his website.
Air New Zealand was a “worst practice” airline until transformed by Sir Ralph Norris after it all but failed in 2001, says Thomas, who has written about aviation for 45 years, winning more than 40 awards.
After Air New Zealand was propped up by an $885-million government bailout for an 82% stake, new chief executive Norris flipped attitudes.
He started building a culture that remains, says Thomas.
Air New Zealand went from industry worst practice under Brierley Investments, to industry best practice under Norris, and “outstanding people” around him, he says.
“His mantra was very simple: ‘I don’t care about my shareholders, I care about my staff, my staff will care about my passengers, and my passengers will look after my shareholders.’”
“He said to his staff ‘read the manual and throw it away’. That culture has stayed all the way through the last 23 years,” Thomas says.
“Staff think for themselves, they are well acquainted with the rules, but look to tailor them to a situation and get an outcome… That doesn’t matter as long as the outcome is the right outcome.”
READ the rest of the Air NZ article here
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