Gizmodo Australia » air new zealand

Air New Zealand Adds USB Ports, Power Sockets To Each Seat

Kat Hannaford — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:35:38 +0000

When you’re flying 90 odd hours just to get to Auckland from the States, you’d be wanting to charge your iPod or laptop at least once. Air New Zealand’s done a major overhaul of its Boeing 777 plane, with sockets and USB ports galore.

It’s not just for the suit-clad first class and business class passengers either. Eleven Skycouches that turn into flat beds for two will make those weeks in the air fly past quickly, with the other seats providing extra leg room and comfort. But that’s not the best bit – the power sockets, iPod connectors and USB ports on each seat will blow people’s minds. You know, for that full three-month long flight to Wellington. [Gadling via Engadget]

Air New Zealand Successfully Trials Weed Biofuel

Nick Broughall — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:11:04 +0000

Remember back in June how Air New Zealand announced it was going to be trialling a biofuel mix in a 747 aircraft based on the jatropha plant? Well, they did it, and according to The Register, everything went off without a hitch. The plane used a 50-50 mixture of the biofuel and regular fuel in one engine, while the other three all had regular fuel running through them. They tested out a series of mid-air manoeuvres like engines stops, restarts, and got full power from the biofuel mix.

The reason they were using the jatropha plant is because it thrives in arid regions, and doesn’t require fertile land otherwise needed for forests or food farmland. Ideally, they could begin farming the plant in the middle of the Australian desert, although whether they could be mass-produced is still being debated.

Still, it’s great to see an airline taking a real pro-active approach to the problem they’re facing with fuel – ultimately, fossil fuels are destined to run out, so the further we can stretch them and the quicker we can come up with an alternative, the better.

[The Register]

Air New Zealand to Power a 747 with Weed

Adam Frucci — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:30:00 +0000

OK, OK, so the weed in question is actually the jatropha plant, a weed indigenous to India and Africa. But still! Air New Zealand is planning to fill one of the four engines of a 747 with the weed and the remaining three engines with normal jet fuel to test the potential of using jatropha as a biofuel.

It’s a clear sign of the desperations airlines are feeling with the prices of jet fuel rising to, ahem, stratospheric levels. With jatropha costing 20-30% less than fuel, it looks like an attractive alternative. It’s not derived from a food source like ethanol is, which is a big plus for Air NZ. It’s also a hearty plant that can cope with poor soil and a lack of water, making it easy to come by. You know, because it’s a weed. What did you think the headline meant? [FlightGlobal; Thanks Jason!]