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.”
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
Boeing 747 captain Christiaan van Heijst has captured this spectacular image of the Northern Lights on a flight over the North Atlantic.
Christiaan takes up the story of his Northern Lights picture…
“A few hundred miles south of Iceland, somewhere over the North Atlantic Ocean. A turquoise aerial fire in the form of aurora borealis while the city lights of Reykjavik illuminate the horizon in a contrasting, orange glow, far away.
“Artificial lights on the horizon: a beacon of civilisation and connectedness to the world after many hours of isolation: no communication in my headset except for the bare minimums in regard to procedures, nor any personal interaction from my Icelandic captain, who’s been mute ever since the landing gear went up on the other side of the planet. A character known for his absolute approach to colleagues and deliberate lack of conversational depth during flight.
“Hours later, the lights of Reykjavik are abundantly visible and without need, heed or warning, he opens up the intercom and takes his time to start his declaration for a single-person audience: me. Staring out of his window, eyes set on the distant orange glow from his left-hand window, he solemnly proclaims a few seconds later:
“… the centre of the universe…”, allowing some moments of quiet contemplation and thought on my side, before switching his intercom off again, as if to underline this statement and retreating back in his cone of silence. Stoic minimalism at it’s best and I can’t help but silently chuckle at this unexpected and utterly dry sense of humour.
“We touch down four hours later, finding ground in a typical cargo airport somewhere in central Europe, not having shared a single word since besides his solemn proclamation of Iceland’s true worth.
“You’re a fun guy, looking forward to flying with you next time.” he confided to me, before leaving me with a solid handshake and sincere smile before disappearing into the night to find his car.
“Indeed, speaking is silver, but silence is golden.”
Christiaan is one of the world’s leading aviation photographers and more of his work and more close encounter (s) can be found here.
You can follow Christiaan on Instagram here: @jpcvanheijst
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.
Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:
“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
Passengers and crew of the record breaking Boeing 777-200LR which set a world distance record in 2005.
I would happily fly on a Boeing jet despite the supposed rash of incidents in the past few months because incidents happen all the time in aviation and just as many happen to Airbus aircraft as Boeing.
At Airlineratings.com we did a survey of major incidents for 2023 and up to March 23rd 2024 and the results were fascinating.
We found that there were 515 significant incidents involving Airbus aircraft and 545 involving Boeing aircraft which is not surprising as there are slightly more Boeing aircraft flying than Airbus types. In almost all cases the incidents had nothing to do with Airbus or Boeing but were airline or weather-related.
Balance those numbers against the total number of commercial flights per year of over 40 million or 110,000 a day!
Certainly, the short to medium-range Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 are more in the news because there are so many in service and they typically perform about four sectors a day. These two 180-220-seat aircraft operate over 50% of the world’s commercial flights and are the backbone of commercial aviation. Boeing and Airbus have both delivered over 11,000 of their respective models to airlines and corporate customers. Boeing has orders for almost 5,000 more 737s and Airbus has over 7,000 A320 family models.
Boeing 737 MAX 9
Most of the incidents that are not weather or airline-related don’t involve Airbus or Boeing directly but are caused by malfunctions in components supplied by hundreds of suppliers. For instance, Airbus and Boeing don’t make engines, undercarriages, wheels, cockpit avionics, seatback video systems, galleys and seats. And the list goes on and on. So quite often if there is a problem with a component on a Boeing aircraft then it is likely the same issue impacts Airbus.
The Boeing supplier network includes more than 20,000 suppliers and partners. The company has 11 research & development centres, 16 consortia and 22 joint research centres as well as relationships with more than 50 international universities. Airbus has similar numbers.
Naturally, the media is focused on Boeing after the Alaska Airlines 737 door incident in January so any incident involving Boeing planes grabs the headlines or gains social media traction, while Airbus incidents, unless a crash is involved, go largely ignored.
Boeing has an incredible history in aviation and gave us the 707 and 747, helped put a man on the moon, and was the lead integrator of the International Space Station. It built the GPS satellites and the rockets that put those satellites into space. It has through its merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, built most of the free world’s fighter jets as well as the magnificent C-17 transport aircraft that brings humanitarian aid and disaster relief to millions and the list goes on. And to that list the magnificent Boeing 777-300ER which is the backbone of international travel and is the most reliable wide-body aircraft in service.
There is no question however that Boeing has production problems which are being addressed and experts suggest the company is on top of the issues with permanent fixes.
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.
Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:
“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary has slammed a French Minister as “stupid” after he said that he would not travel on a Boeing jet.
According to the website POLITICO French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire’s attack on Boeing’s safety record earned him a scorching response from Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary, who on Wednesday referred to him as a “stupid politician” and called his comments “silly and ill-advised.”
In an interview with POLITICO on the sidelines of an Airlines for Europe summit in Brussels, O’Leary also denounced the way that Boeing has been regulated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), saying the agency was “rubber-stamping” the U.S. plane-maker.
O’Leary was responding to Le Maire saying on Tuesday: “I’d rather fly Airbus than Boeing. My family too: they care about me.”
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary. Photo: Andreas Spaeth
To “some stupid politician going: ‘My family don’t feel safe on a [Boeing] 737,’ I say: ‘Well, then try flying on an Airbus with a problem with the engine that hasn’t been repaired,’” O’Leary said, referring to the defects in the Pratt & Whitney engines that have grounded hundreds of Airbus planes for inspections.
The Ryanair Group operates 578 Boeing 737s of different models.
Mr O’Leary also noted that about “20% of the Airbus fleet” is going to be grounded to repair an engine problem.
However, Mr O’Leary added in the POLITICO interview that airlines expect perfection in new aircraft they buy. “Every day when Airbus and Boeing produce or deliver a new aircraft, the quality of that has to be second to none. We’re paying $100 million for every one of these aircraft. We need to know that the standards of safety and that quality control is top notch in both in Toulouse and in Seattle,” O’Leary said.
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
Japan Airlines has ordered 42 aircraft with the majority going to Airbus over Boeing with commitments to 21 A350s, 11 A321neos and ten 787-9s.
Japan Airlines said the aircraft will “enhance and expand the capacity of international operations, with a primary focus on regions such as North America, Asia, and India where future growth is expected.”
In a major move, the A321neo purchase will end Boeing’s run as the supplier of the airline’s narrowbody aircraft.
Currently the airline operates 17 A350s, 42 737-800s, 23 787-8s, 22 787-9s, 27 767s and 14 777s. Separate from the order just announced the airline has another 11 A350-1000s and 21 737 MAX 8s on order.
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
Airlineratings.com has information on over 30 types of aircraft from the latest Boeing 787 to the A380 and smaller jets.
Best of all, there are simple answers to many of the quirky questions including:
“What are all those noises after takeoff and before landing?”
“Why do you have to put the window shades up for landing and takeoff?”
Korean Air will sign a contract with Airbus for the procurement of 33 state-of-the-art A350 family aircraft. The deal, which includes 27 A350-1000s and six A350-900s, is valued at USD 13.7 billion.
The airline said that the order will supplement the airline’s long-term fleet operations as it gradually retires its older aircraft. The procurement of the next-generation, eco-friendly A350 is not only aligned with the airlines’ sustainability efforts but also is seen as preparation for the integration of Asiana Airlines.
The A350-1000 is the largest in the A350 family and can accommodate from 350 to 410 passengers in a standard three-class configuration. The aircraft makes use of advanced composite materials, resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions of up to 25%, in comparison to similarly-sized previous-generation aircraft models.
With the longest flight range among existing passenger aircraft, the A350-1000 can operate up to 16,000km with full payload.
The A350-900 variant is about 7 meters shorter than the A350-1000 with a range of 15,370km and typically seats 300-350 passengers in a three-class layout.
The airline said it can deploy the aircraft on its long-haul routes such as Seoul Incheon-New York, where the airline currently operates two daily flights.
Korean Air added that in addition to the agreement to purchase 33 A350s, Korean Air plans to introduce 50 Airbus A321neos, 10 Boeing 787-9s, 20 Boeing 787-10s, and 30 Boeing 737-8s.
Airlineratings.com is packed with information about air travel and answers questions that many of us may have thought of, but didn’t know who to ask. Well, now you do!
Airlineratings.com was developed to provide everyone in the world with a one-stop shop for everything related to airlines, formed by a team of aviation editors, who have forensically researched nearly every airline in the world.
Our rating system is rated from one to seven stars on safety – with seven being the highest ranking. Within each airline, you will find the country of origin, airline code, booking URL and seat map information. The rating system takes into account a number of different factors related to audits from aviation’s governing bodies, lead associations as well as the airline’s own safety data. Every airline has a safety rating breakdown so you can see exactly how they rate.
Over 230 of the airlines on the site that carry 99 per cent of the world’s passengers have a product rating. Given that low-cost, regional and full-service carriers are so different we have constructed a different rating system for each which can be found within each airline.
Travellers over the Easter School Holiday are facing travel chaos downunder in Australia after the United Firefighters Association Aviation Branch (UFUAV) informed Airservices, the Australian government air traffic control provider, of plans to take protected industrial action during the Easter school holidays, in their quest for a 20% pay rise.
According to Airservices, which also looks after firefighting services at 27 airports, the UFUAV has provided official notification of protected industrial action it plans to take commencing April 5, including an indefinite ban on overtime which has the potential to disrupt aircraft operations at airports across Australia and cause travel chaos.
Airservices says it has offered ARFF crews an 11.2% pay rise over three years, with no change in conditions, however, the UFUAV is demanding a 20% pay rise as part of a range of claims that in total would cost the aviation industry and their passengers an additional $128 million.
Airservices said in a statement that “in line with recommendations from the Fair Work Commission, Airservices was prepared to hold further meetings with the union to seek a resolution to the dispute without the looming threat of industrial action, however, the UFUAV has refused.”
The air traffic control provider also said that the union has threatened to instruct their members to conduct a go-slow in not guaranteeing response times, or even delaying their response to emergency situations involving the travelling public beyond the three-minute maximum required by safety regulations.
“It is disappointing that the UFUAV is continuing to put thousands of Australians’ safety at risk over the Easter school holiday period in their campaign for a 20% pay increase,” said Airservices Australia CEO Jason Harfield.
“This disruptive campaign has nothing to do with staffing levels, which are monitored and regulated by CASA as the aviation safety regulator.”
Airservices said it will work with the airlines and airports to maintain safe operations and to minimise any impact on the travelling public as a result of industrial action.
Aviation’s greatest challenge is not Net Zero by 2050 but stopping the tsunami of misinformation about its extraordinary progress over the past 60 years in reducing CO2 per passenger and its blueprint for exciting future gains.
Climate change is real, of that there is no doubt but there is so much misinformation about the culprits that when the truth emerges it is barely recognizable.
That is an enormous challenge for aviation as its superb track record is being dismissed by not only social media but also some of the world’s most prestigious magazines and newspapers – the Wall Street Journal and the Economist.
On August 6, 2023, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Fred Krupp President of Environmental Defense Fund, a U.S.-based nonprofit environmental advocacy group, claimed that “The global aviation industry is one of the largest sources of climate pollution. If its emissions were measured alongside countries, it would be the sixth largest.”
Technically he is right, except that he failed to mention that the five worst polluting countries above aviation contribute more than 97% of all CO2 emissions.
Interestingly, after an apparent backlash, that paragraph was later omitted from the online article but a Google search on September 9, 2023, still had it as the headline paragraph as can be seen below.
Picture: Screenshot taken on September 9, 2023, of the August 6th Wall Street Journal article in a Google Search showing the claim of aviation’s impact.
In 2017, aviation contributed 1.46% of global CO2 according to the 2018 Report from the Publications Office of the European Union when reporting on the CO2 emissions of all world countries. It is now accepted that the figure is just above 2%.
In the May 14, 2023 of The Economist’s online edition, the headline was “The aviation industry wants to be net zero—but not yet.”
The first paragraph read: “Flying is a dirty business. Airliners account for more than 2% of the annual global emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, many times commercial aviation’s contribution to world GDP.”
The Economist’s article has no attribution to the GDP claim whereas according to Oxford Economics aviation’s contribution is 4.1% of global GDP.
The article also pours cold water on aviation’s future developments suggesting that the technology that might help the industry meet its 2050 goal is “barely perceptible on the horizon.” Yet new generation engines are running or will do so in the next few years – hardly on the horizon.
In 2006 Joss Garman’s planestupid.com proclaimed: “There won’t be any significant breakthrough in engine emissions for at least three decades. There’s no technical fix.” Since then, the 787 and A350 have entered service in 2011 and 2014 and they burn up to 34% less fuel per passenger than the planes they replaced, while the A320neo family and the 737 MAX burn about 15% less fuel.
It is this gross distortion of facts that is aviation’s great enemy as it continues its incredible growth. Aviation’s record in reducing fuel and thus emissions is impressive and since the jet age commenced in earnest during the late 1950s the amount of fuel used per passenger has declined by around 85% – an outstanding record by any measure, which can be seen in the graphic from Greening Wings to be released in July 2004 below.
What is extraordinary about the heated debate is that many other serious polluters largely fly under the social and mainstream media radar.
Food, clothing and air conditioners, are by any measure huge contributors to climate change yet there has been limited coverage of their impact.
According to the UN the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the Carbon Brief:
One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally.
This waste in 2017 produced 9.3bn tonnes of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2e) – four times aviation and marine combined.
All the food produced but never eaten would be sufficient to feed two billion people. That is more than twice the number of undernourished people across the globe.
If wasted food were a country, it would be the third-largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world, after the USA and China.
Now consider our love of fashion. According to a report by Zurich.com:
The fashion industry produces about 10% of annual global carbon emissions, which is more than all maritime shipping and flights combined.
What’s more, fashion’s emissions of harmful greenhouse gases are projected to grow by more than 50% by 2030.
The fashion sector (including cotton farming) also uses about 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, representing 4% of all global freshwater withdrawals.
Just to manufacture a single pair of jeans requires a staggering 3,781 liters of water.
And every second of every day, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of clothing is burned or added to landfill.
Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally.
An estimated 50 billion new garments were made in 2000. Twenty years later and this figure has doubled to 100 billion.
The average person today buys 60% more clothes than they did at the turn of the century and yet we keep them for roughly half as long. And the main culprit is fast fashion.
Clothes piled up in landfill sites in Chile. Photo: Skynews
And as the earth warms, we are turning more and more to air conditioners to seek relief and, according to an article in euronews.com, that is a disaster.
The article warns that the number of air conditioners is projected to triple from 1.6 billion in 2022 to 4.8 billion in 2050 and experts warn that we urgently need to change course.
The issues are two-fold. Air conditioners use more electricity than any other appliance in the home and with electric fans, consume 10% of global electricity.
Sophie Geoghegan, a climate campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency, a London-based green NGO says that the average unit is just one-third as efficient as it could be. Ms. Geoghegan adds that “the International Energy Agency, says that by 2050, fans and space cooling will consume as much electricity as all of China and India do today.”
The other issue the article highlights is that air conditioners leak hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs), gases with powerful planet-warming properties with the most commonly used refrigerant – R-410A – a whopping 2,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Ms Geoghegan warns in the article that these gases are the “elephant in the room. It’s terrifying. Given how many people are buying air conditioners, it could be disastrous.”
And, as other ground-based transportation sectors reduce their CO2 footprint via hydrogen and electric options, aviation’s share of CO2 produced, while reducing, will be a bigger slice of the pie which will be a lightning rod for criticism.
The message is clear for the aviation industry. Despite the great work of industry bodies such as ICAO, IATA and ATAG its extraordinary progress over the past 60 years and its massive economic impact is not being recognized nor is the industry’s exciting blueprint for the future of Net Zero.
Worse the anti-aviation rhetoric that started as a well-meaning though ill-informed whimper in 2007 has turned into an irrational crescendo which is now noisier than a 1960s vintage 707.
Boeing, a prominent player in the aerospace industry, has faced significant issues recently, prompting a closer look at public sentiment. In a survey conducted among our readers, clear trends emerged regarding preferences and opinions surrounding Boeing’s aircraft.
The survey (which had over 200 respondants) revealed that 54% of respondents indicated a preference for flying with Airbus, suggesting a notable shift in consumer trust. Despite this, 41% expressed willingness to fly either Airbus or Boeing aircraft, indicating a level of confidence still present in Boeing’s offerings.
When asked about concerns regarding Boeing, 50% of respondents admitted to feeling uneasy about recent issues. However, only 27% stated they would actively avoid Boeing aircraft due to safety worries.
We were overwhelmed with comments from survey participants and have shared just a small selection below that echoed the general consensus.
“I do believe Boeing Management need to make substantial improvements towards shop floor communications re safety related issues… too many shortcuts in [the]past decade & downgrade of previous worker’s input.”
“Maintaining an aircraft is the responsibility of each airline. These issues are maintenance issues not Boeing’s fault.”
“With the total volume of aircraft flights on a daily basis, the odds of facing an incident are minuscule. It certainly raises the attention level that needs to be paid by all manufacturers. Boeing is in the spotlight right now, but I do believe they will get things resolved and move forward.”
“Boeing needs to reflect on the serious lack of a safety culture and rebuild the trust of airlines and the travelling public.”
“Problems with the older 737 800 and 777 with respect to external panels and wheels falling off would appear to be down to airline MRO procedures. However, the issues with the newer Max 737 models indicate major problems at Boeing. More attention to quality control and less attention to ‘pushing product out the door’ is required.”
“FAA and Boeing have been in bed too long plus Boeing have changed their focus from reliability to profit accountability rather than safety and good quality standards.”
“I’m definitely not flying 737 MAX at present until we get [a]resolution of [the] safety investigation at Boeing assembly plant. Who knows what other bolts are missing and rivets are not fitted properly. When will all the 737’s be inspected? “
“It all started the downhill slide when Boeing and the caustic culture of McDonnell Douglas came together.”
Optimism was also evident, with some believing Boeing could overcome its challenges and regain trust through accountability and transparency.
One common theme was the impact of the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger, with some attributing current struggles to cultural factors inherited from McDonnell Douglas. Regulatory oversight was also scrutinized, with suggestions that closer ties between Boeing and the FAA may have contributed to lapses.
Looking ahead, addressing concerns and implementing robust safety measures will be crucial for Boeing. Transparency and accountability will be key in rebuilding trust among airlines and passengers alike.
In summary, public sentiment reflects a mix of concerns and potential for recovery for Boeing amidst recent challenges
*Shared comments are 'just that' and reflect reader sentiment. These are not necessarily the opinions of the AirlineRatings team*
Expanding its flight network from Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi, Vietjet is set to introduce a new direct route to Sydney, further enhancing its connectivity. Following the recent announcement of the Hanoi – Melbourne route, the Hanoi – Sydney service is scheduled to commence operations in June. This direct air link will substantially reduce travel times, offering more cost-effective options compared to connecting flights.
Commencing on June 8, 2024, the Hanoi – Sydney route will operate twice weekly flights, departing from Hanoi on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and arriving in Sydney the following day. Return flights from Sydney will transport travelers back to Hanoi on Thursdays and Sundays, providing an opportunity to explore Northern Vietnam’s lush landscapes.
The Hanoi – Melbourne route will launch a few days earlier, on June 3, 2024, with flights operating twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays from Hanoi, and returning from Melbourne to Hanoi on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
To celebrate these new routes, Vietjet is offering promotional fares starting from USD0 (*) until March 25, applicable to all Vietnam – Australia flights. Travel dates for promotional tickets are available from now until October 31, 2024 (**).
Additionally, passengers flying on the inaugural flights of the Hanoi-Sydney and Hanoi-Melbourne routes will receive up to 500 Skypoints. Further offers and benefits can be explored through the SkyJoy app or at https://skyjoy.vietjetair.com/, featuring partnerships with over 250 renowned culinary, shopping, and travel brands worldwide.
Vietjet’s expansion into the Australian market within just one year reflects its commitment to providing convenient connections between Vietnam and Australia. With routes connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to major Australian cities, Vietjet facilitates seamless travel experiences for business, leisure, or exploration purposes.
In 2023, Vietjet significantly expanded its flight network with the addition of 33 new international and domestic routes, including five new routes connecting Australia to Vietnam.
With these long-haul journeys across continents, Vietjet continues to uphold its reputation for affordability and quality service. Passengers can look forward to flying on modern aircraft, enjoying diverse cuisines onboard, and experiencing Vietjet’s commitment to safety and customer satisfaction.
(*) Excluding taxes and fees
(**) Except for holidays, depending on each market and route.
About Vietjet
Vietjet has emerged as a leading airline not only in Vietnam but also across the region and globally, revolutionizing the aviation industry with its innovative approach. Through effective cost management, advanced technology utilization, and a commitment to customer satisfaction, Vietjet offers flexible and cost-saving flying opportunities with a range of services to meet diverse needs.
As a fully-fledged member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and holder of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate, Vietjet maintains the highest safety standards. Recognized for its safety, operational excellence, and financial stability, Vietjet has garnered numerous awards from prestigious organizations such as Skytrax, CAPA, and Airline Ratings.
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