It seems like everyone in starting the recognise the value of concierges but airlines have been late to get on board the trend. Air New Zealand have recently announced that they will introduce an in-flight International Concierge service in April 08 on some routes. The service will be staffed by 90 concierge staff who will consist of a combination of travel advisers, disrupt managers, loyalty and destination experts focussed on supporting every aspect of the passenger’s travel needs. Their list of “can do” activities include escorting passengers to and from the aircraft, recommending “must-do” activities in New Zealand, assisting passengers with onward bookings, supporting passengers affected by weather disruptions/delays, or even talking through the finer points of customer’ in-flight wine selections.
These concierges will physically be on long haul fights, with the first routes to be included being flights between Auckland and LA, San Francisco, Vancouver and Hong Kong.
