Air New Zealand will begin rolling out inflight WiFi on its jet services next year, starting with trans-Tasman flights. CE Christopher Luxon said "Air New Zealand is in the final stages of commercial negotiations with suppliers." Proving flights would begin in H2 2017 and internet services progressively available on Tasman, Pacific Island and long haul jet fleets from the end of next year, said Luxon. The airline is negotiating with Inmarsat and Panasonic Avionics. Internet connectivity wil be supplied by Inmarsat's new global GX satellite constellation and integrated with Air New Zealand's in-cabin Panasonic Avionics technology. Domestic New Zealand jet services were likely to offer a wifi service from 2018. Air New Zealnd said it would release details of any charges early next year.<br/>
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Air New Zealand has launched a fresh offensive into the Australian market, this time chasing long haul travellers to North and South America. In Sydney Thursday, the airline unveiled a big push into Qantas' and Virgin Australia's home patch, looking to take passengers off those and other airlines and fly them across the Pacific via Auckland. "This is a huge opportunity because we know we can rip very easily into Australia," Air NZ CE Christopher Luxon says. It is setting up a sales network throughout states in Australia and is launching a multi-million dollar advertising and marketing campaign, taking television spots for the first time across the Tasman. The star of the campaign is goose called Dave, a CGI creation in digital the TV ads that will run throughout Australia from Sunday promoting Air New Zealand's long haul network and range of products. Dave, voiced by Australian actor Bryan Brown, finds flying on a plane across the Pacific "a better way to fly" than birds' customary means of migration. The initial 90 second TV ad also references transtasman rugby rivalry, accents and pavlova and Brown's role in the movie Cocktail.<br/>
Mitsubishi Aircraft has confirmed it is in talks with launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) over a further technical delay, although it insists no decision has been made. On Oct. 3, Mitsubishi issued a statement rejecting reports the Regional Jet (MRJ) program has been delayed again. However, on Oct. 5 an MRJ spokeswoman said: “It is true that we have spoken to them [launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA)] of a risk of delay due to technical reason.” She repeated the earlier position that no decision has been made to change the delivery schedule. In December 2015, Mitsubishi announced the first delivery to ANA was delayed to mid-2018. ANA has 15 aircraft on order and 10 options. The first delivery was originally scheduled for the first quarter of 2014. The MRJ90 performed its first flight in November 2015 and was joined by FTA-2 in May. In a newsletter issued Oct. 5, Mitsubishi revealed its third test aircraft (JA24MJ) performed its first flight Sept. 25.<br/>