A surge in jet fuel prices could make international airfares more expensive.

In the past two weeks, higher refining margins means jet fuel prices have risen 15% to hit $US85 a barrel, near the peaks just before Christmas last year.

Air New Zealand's chief executive Rob Fyfe says the company is watching prices closely. But if it remains high, costs may have to be passed on to long-haul travellers....

Hamilton International Airport is gearing up for another battle with Air New Zealand after the airline's subsidiary, Freedom Air, said it was cutting its service to Melbourne.

Airport chief executive Chris Doak said the decision came as a "bitter blow" considering the route was one of the airport's best-performing....

An investigation is under way into a near miss during a take-off at Auckland International Airport last month.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) will look into the March 22 incident where an Emirates Boeing 777 was taking off from the main runway which had been shortened due to repair works at one end....

Air New Zealand planes flew fuller last month, as the airline industry enjoyed what one analyst called a near "perfect confluence" of factors.

An update from Air New Zealand today showed its passenger load factor � the proportion of seats filled � improved by 7 percentage points in March, compared to a year earlier.

That lifted the load factor to 79.5 per cent � the result of an 8.3 per cent increase in traffic numbers despite group-wide capacity reductions of 1.3 per cent, Air New Zealand said.

At the same time year-to-date group-wide yields improved 10.1 per cent....

�I�m in Queenstown, my bags are in Sydney � he�s flown back to Sydney but his bags are still in Queenstown.�

Around 150 international Air New Zealand passengers were each offered $100 compensation after being caught in a major overnight �luggage-go-round� at Queenstown Airport last Saturday afternoon....

... Air New Zealand rose nearly seven percent in intra-day trade to 2.67 nzd, its highest level since September 2003, before closing up 15 cents at 2.65.

The airline's fuel bills have declined and it released figures Thursday showing improved passenger and cargo loads....

....Travel agents told the Herald on Sunday many families chose to holiday in term time, to avoid the rush for tickets.

And Air New Zealand confirmed it ran "piggy-back" promotions "from time to time"....

...Air New Zealand has added 8c to $2.73 after a positive earnings update last week....

...Speaking about New Zealand's tourism potential, Goff said some 20,000 Indians visited his country but many more could do so.

"Air New Zealand (the country's flag carrier) has shown interest in initially starting a weekly flight out of Mumbai. We hope Air India will also show similar interest," he stated....

New code-share arrangements between New Zealand and Chinese airlines will bring about future growth in tourism and business travel between the two countries, New Zealand Transport Ministry announced Monday.

The announcement followed a meeting of Transport Minister Annette King's meeting with the Minister of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), Yang Yuanyuan, in Beijing....

Air New Zealand has entered into a code-share relationship with Air Pacific for flights between Nadi and Los Angeles, effective from May 7.

The relationship will provide customers with daily flights between Fiji and Los Angeles seven days a week. Air New Zealand will operate up to three services per week using B767 and B777 aircraft, with Air Pacific operating up to five B747 services per week.

Group General Manager Short Haul Airlines Norm Thompson welcomed the new relationship and said it would have reciprocal benefits for the customers of both airlines, and direct benefits for Fiji tourism.

"This new schedule provides more choice for our customers as well as ensuring the route remains sustainable for both Air New Zealand and Air Pacific � it's a win-win situation for everyone."

"The services will offer customers daily connections to and from the United States and Europe, including direct connections with our own daily service between Los Angeles and London," he said.

"The daily schedule will also better support traffic from the United Kingdom and Europe, and allow us to stimulate tourism demand from these markets, growing North American and European holidaymaker visits to Fiji and the Pacific Islands."

Available for sale from today, 24 April 2007, both Air New Zealand and Air Pacific will continue to offer independent and competitive airfares.

Air New Zealand has ditched plans to redeploy financial services workers, with nearly 180 staff told a plan to outsource jobs to India had been scrapped.

About 70 jobs were to have been disestablished, but plans to move some positions to coup-torn Fiji and then, as an alternative, India have been "withdrawn", the national airline confirmed yesterday.

Service and Food Workers' Union northern regional secretary Jill Ovens said the airline had on Tuesday revealed the about-turn to the "gasps of shock" by staff.

"Some members had been counting on the redundancy. One had already purchased a house in Queenstown," Ovens said.....