Air New Zealand surprised passengers with holiday magic at 30.000ft

Air New Zealand surprised passengers on flight NZ7 from San Francisco to Auckland that took off 24 December as they missed out on the twinkle of Christmas Day magic. The crew pulled out all the stops to transform the Dreamliner into a Christmas wonderland, surprising more than 200 travellers onboard by bringing a one-of-a-kind Christmas celebration to the skies.

Passengers were delighted by a dazzling onboard illumination and were surprised by moments of magic across the flight, adding festive magic to the cabin interior. Air New Zealand chief executive, Greg Foran, said the airline wanted to create a special surprise to bring festive joy to its customers this year.

“Every detail was designed to bring the magic of Christmas to life, even at 30,000ft,” Foran said. “It’s our way of spreading some Air New Zealand manaaki to one lucky flight full of festive travellers this year. What a terrific way to celebrate Christmas in the skies.”

Air New Zealand’s Grace Blewitt, said the goal was to make spirits bright for passengers on this time-hopping journey, inspired by the airline’s Christmas campaign.

“The holidays are a time to come together with loved ones, and we know missing Christmas day can clip the wings of that festive feeling,” Blewitt said. So, we decided to sleigh expectations and create a sky-high celebration like no other, sprinkling some magic on this journey.

Our incredible team lit up the cabin interiors with a festive light display, taking travellers on a journey from a snowy Northern Hemisphere Christmas to the sunny summer beach Christmas in Aotearoa.

Passengers were treated to a Christmas feast, featuring a holiday menu that included a traditional Christmas roast with succulent turkey, sweet potato mash, and a decadent Christmas yule log for dessert.

“Our holidaymakers also received a set of thoughtful gifts to commemorate the unique journey. Among the surprises were a custom-designed Christmas bauble and a charming aircraft-shaped Christmas cookie as sweet souvenirs to remember the once-in-a-lifetime experience.”