IN THIS ISSUE ▼ Gold Award winners announced ▼ The future of boarding calls ▼ Homage to a Kiwi flight innovator ▼ Welcoming China Airlines ▼ Nature Baby top for $39.95 Keeping you informed | ISSN 1176-9432 Arrivals draw enthusiastic crowds Staff shuttles Auckland Airport is looking at trialling shuttle services, initially for staff living on the North Shore and Pukekohe, for a three-month period. Similar in concept to the successful Lift carpooling scheme, the service would be open to anyone who works at the airport and would involve an eight-seater leased by Auckland We’ve all seen the colourful and boisterous The excited yet well-behaved crowds Airport. support that the foreign rugby teams have consisted of locals, expats and A staff member would drive, getting been getting in the stadiums and on the representatives of local business to and from work for FREE in streets during Rugby World Cup 2011. associations and schools who had “adopted” teams, with country-specific entertainment exchange for picking up passengers, For many of them it started with an equally warming them up to welcome their heroes. each of whom pay a flat monthly fee enthusiastic welcome when they walked that works out cheaper than running through the arrival doors at Auckland Airport. Tonga’s arrival was the largest, with a car. thousands of fans turning up, causing traffic The airport played host to eight arrival to build on roads around the airport. Samoa Sustainability adviser Martin Fryer events, more than any other New Zealand had the second largest turnout. says while the simple concept is city and all of which were organised by almost unheard of in New Zealand, it Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic All teams were greeted with a kapa haka is well used in the United States. Development in conjunction with Rugby New performed by Te Piringa o Makaurau Marae Zealand 2011. Kapa Haka group. If successful this initiative will mean fewer cars on the roads, reducing congestion and providing participants with a cheap door-to- door shuttle service. If you are interested in becoming a driver and/or passenger, please email martin.fryer@aucklandairport. co.nz and he will keep you informed. 7.6% The increase in total volume of Enthusiastic fans greet (clockwise from top left) the Japanese, FIjian, Australian and Namibian teams at international passengers when Auckland Airport. Photos courtesy of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development. compared with August 2010. Airport Times | October 2011 2 Gold Medal Award winners Eddie’s adventure It may have only lasted nine minutes, but Eddie the dog’s adventure caused quite a stir. The friendly Jack Russell terrier managed to chew through the cable ties holding the door of his crate closed while en route from Christchurch to Auckland. Once the plane’s hold was opened, Eddie made a daring dash onto the runway. Ten local schools, Marae and clubs received on September 30, with some of the schools great news when they were told they were and groups performing songs or waiata. the chosen recipients of Auckland Airport’s The winners are: Gold Medal Awards, and would be receiving a share of $25,000 worth of funding. • Oaklynn Special School • Southern Cross College The decision was a hard one. In just its • Te Kura Maori o Nga Tapuwae second year, Auckland Airport’s Gold • Te Rahuitanga Te Kohanga Reo and Medals attracted 80 applications, each of Marae them worthy of recognition in their own right. • Kelvin Road School The awards are open to sporting clubs, • Riverhead Primary School schools and Marae looking for funds • Manurewa Amateur Swimming Club to purchase sports equipment, or pay • Air Raiders Basketball Club for coaching, training, or travel and • Rutherford College accommodation costs for sporting events. • Papatoetoe Association Football Club Inc Representatives from the 10 winning www.aucklandairport.co.nz groups took part in an awards ceremony Airport vehicles were immediately dispatched to catch Eddie and return him to his owner and after nine The future of boarding calls? minutes of freedom he decided to Paris’ Orly Airport is trialling some unique with some trying to talk with the holograms come quietly. new “employees” to help passengers board or touch them. Eddie’s owner Andrew Raines says their flights – 2D holograms. Auckland Airport is also always looking to his “best little friend” loves the airport The strikingly lifelike video images are rear- make the airport smarter and more efficient and loves watching the planes. “I’m projected onto human-shaped silhouettes for travellers, so they will be watching the not surprised he jumped out to be made of plexiglass and seemingly trial closely. amidst the planes on the runway.” materialise out of nowhere when a live www.aeroportsdeparis.fr Auckland Airport airfield officer human boarding agent pushes a button. Sarah Kane was part of the team The pilot programme is part of a plan to that helped get Eddie safely back to modernise Hall 40, one of the dozens of his owner. boarding gates at Paris’ second airport. Hall “This was a very unusual and 40 serves 30 to 40 flights a day and around isolated incident,” she says. 1 million passengers pass through it every year. “Thousands of pets get safely and securely transported each year and Three actual airport boarding agents were this is the first time something like filmed in a studio to create the illusion, this has happened. and the airport hopes they will be more eye-catching and easier for passengers to “Safety is always the main priority understand than the traditional electronic at the airport and in this instance display terminals. aircraft movements were temporarily stopped until Eddie was safely So far passengers have greeted the trial recovered.” with a mixture of amusement and surprise, Airport Times | October 2011 3 Homage to Kiwi flight innovator Things are running smoothly After so long as a “coming attraction” the Rugby World Cup is now in full swing. You may have already have noticed that Auckland Airport is busier than usual, but now that we’re approaching the business end of the tournament things are about to get even busier. October brings several likely peak days at the airport: Domestic terminal: October 10, 16, 17 & 24. International terminal: October 14, A new sculpture at Auckland Airport is set to Peter Alexander, Auckland Airport general 17, 24, 25 & 26. surprise even regular visitors as it is moved manager property, said it was very exciting Passengers can help keep the around the Auckland Airport Business to unveil Sean Crawford’s sculpture airport process running smoothly by District. installation in the Auckland Airport Business following a handful of simple tips: District. “The Pioneer, Maui’s bird and the Earthly 1. Don’t miss kick-off: Check Star” has been created specially for the “It’s Auckland Airport’s aspiration to include your flight schedule at www. airport by Sean Crawford to document and public art into the landscape as part of our aucklandairport.co.nz and be pay homage to the pioneering flights of New place-making strategy. Sean’s “sheep” sure to leave plenty of time to go Zealand aviation innovator Richard Pearse. sculpture is our first installation and it is a through screening and processing, The sculpture includes three sheep celebration of both aviation and the area’s particularly on those busy days. farming history.” says Peter. featuring different shapes made from laser 2. Make sure you are match-fit: cut steel components. The sculpture will be periodically relocated Make sure you’re adhering to airport The first represents Pearse’s flying to different positions around the Auckland security requirements. Find out more machine, the second sheep is fabricated Airport Business District, so keep an eye out at http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/ from the Saddleback bird (Tieke) and the for it next time you visit. files/enter/personal/major-events- third is made from the Clematis flower border-checklist.pdf (Pauwananga). www.seancrawford.co.nz 3. Play to the whistle: Follow any instructions or advice you get from airport staff. Stick to designated pick- up and drop-off areas when meeting Airport firefighters raise $2000 people. Two teams of Auckland Airport firefighters and I think one of the most important 4. Know your airport team: put their fitness and technique on the line outcomes of the event was the awareness Know what services are available at the inaugural Firefighter Chill Factor raised for the Bruce Grant Youth Trust.” from the airport team. Go to www. Challenge – snowboarding down Coronet The day was so successful that Tony plans aucklandairport.co.nz to find out Peak in Queenstown as many times as they to make it an annual event. what’s on offer. could in two hours. 5. Enjoy the game! The catch: they were attached to a fire hose www.brucegrantyouthtrust.org.nz the whole way down. The Challenge, held on Friday August 26, was organised by Auckland Airport firefighter Tony Scott and raised $2000 for % the Bruce Grant Youth Trust, a Queenstown 22.8 charity that helps youth undertake sporting, arts or cultural activities. The increase in the The firefighters were sponsored for each downward run and hundreds of people got number of China into the spirit of the day, waiting at the finish residents arriving at line outside the Coronet Peak café to cheer the firefighters on. Auckland during August “I’m really impressed with the effort all the when compared to boys put in,” Tony says. “The Trust was over August 2010. the moon when we handed over the money Airport Times | October 2011 4 Welcoming China Airlines Free mobile guide to Singapore Getting the most out of a visit to Singapore is easier than ever now that the Singapore Tourism Board has released a free iPhone and Android application called YourSingapore Guide.