Air New Zealand Will Offer Lie-Flat Economy Seats Next Year

Auckland is a city with many faces. Known locally by its Māori name, Tāmaki Makaurau, the city has a cosmopolitan heart with some of the best dining, drinking, and shopping in the country. Yet, urban sprawl quickly gives way to landscapes of New Zealand’s signature beauty here; to the west, the forested hills of the Waitākere Ranges border black sand beaches pummeled by surf. To the east of the city is the island-studded Waitematā Harbor.

Traveling to faraway destinations is a dream. Getting there is not. 

Located in the centre of New Zealand's North Island, the town of Taupo sits sublimely in the shadow of the snow-capped peaks of Tongariro National Park. Fittingly, this 40,000-person lakeside town has recently become one of New Zealand's most popular tourist destinations, as hikers, trout fishers, water sports enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies have started descending upon it.

Calling all job hunters: the city of Wellington, New Zealand, is welcoming Americans to move and work in the county's capital — touting its great work/life balance.

Air New Zealand has this week announced a new in-flight menu that places emphasis on local flavors and ingredients that are unique to New Zealand. A Taste of Aotearoa is onboard Business Premier cabins now and will be available on all long-haul flights specifically out of New Zealand. The creative menu features local food producers and fresh and locally sourced ingredients.

Get your Pokeballs ready, travelers. The virtual reality game that’s exciting gamers and 90s kids alike, Pokemon Go, will soon be released globally.

Enter the Babich Wines “Trip to New Zealand” sweepstakes by August 31, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a seven-night trip for two to New Zealand, including air to and within New Zealand; hotels in Auckland, Marlborough, and Queenstown; choice of activities; and a NZD$1,000 gift card.

The world’s best this, the world’s best that. Everyone has an opinion. But those opinions only accrue real value when they’re aggregated with those of other people, and preferably other people with first-hand experience of the matter being judged.

When it comes to lie-flat luxury on planes, transatlantic long-haul airlines like Emirates, Qatar, and Virgin Atlantic dominate the market. But now JetBlue is upping its flatbed seat count on short-haul flights, raising the question: Could the airline be readying for its own transatlantic routes?

Conde Nast Traveler gets a lot of mileage out of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards, slicing and dicing feedback from 300,000 travelers into a dizzying array of categories, sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories. Not only is there a ranking of the best cities in the world, there’s also the best small cities in the U.S. The world’s best hotels, sure. But also the top 10 hotels in Europe, and in Northern Asia, and in Eastern Mexico, and in Florence.

For the many travelers who can’t sleep in flight but also can’t afford an upgrade to the front of the plane, a new economy-class bed/seat design could revolutionize the way they travel. Italy-based seat manufacturer Geven debuted its Piuma Sofa — a concept that would turn economy-class seats into a lie-flat bed — at the Aircraft Interiors Expo last week, reports Flightglobal.

Wondering what the best airlines are according to the average flyer? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) gives a good idea in its Travelers’ Choice best airline rankings each year based on real travelers’ reviews. And the results are different than most trade studies that list the “best airlines.”