United Airlines said Wednesday its decision to cut about 15 flights from its daily schedule in Newark in August and early September will affect less than 4% of travelers flying out of its New Jersey hub. Last week, Chicago-based United said it would drop to about 395 flights from 410 at the New York City-area airport after operational issues. On Wednesday, the airline said it will temporarily end service between Honolulu and Newark through Sept. 4 but not cut any international flights. In April, United said it would reduce daily departures from Newark to 408 from 438 on peak summer travel days after the FAA agreed to grant waivers to allow airlines not to fly up to 10% of flights at some congested airports, citing air traffic controller shortages. A government audit said staffing issues pose risks to the continuity of air traffic operations. U.S. airlines, including United, have urged more hiring of air traffic controllers. United CEO Scott Kirby met with the acting head of the FAA on July 11, weeks after he criticized its air traffic control performance. "Newark has more flights scheduled than the physical infrastructure can handle," Kirby said then. In a June 26 memo to employees after a weekend of traffic control problems, Kirby said "the FAA frankly failed us," estimating that more than 150,000 customers on United alone were affected by "FAA staffing issues and their ability to manage traffic."<br/>
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Horopito and kawakawa are the star native ingredients in Air New Zealand’s new in-flight menu for premium customers. The airline unveiled its new food and beverage menu at a private media event in Auckland at Hangar 22, the Air New Zealand innovation lab. The menu showcases its largest-ever range of New Zealand suppliers and native ingredients. Called “A Taste of Aotearoa”, the concept brings together indigenous flavours and contemporary cuisine. It’s currently available onboard Business Premier cabins on all long-haul flights out of New Zealand. Meals include a superfood salad with horopito-dusted New Zealand salmon, creamy kawakawa mushrooms on rye toast with sautéed spinach and grilled tomatoes, smoked moki on kawakawa blini and grass-fed NZ lamb rump with horopito rub. The special menu will have a distinctive icon that allows travellers to identify the featured dishes, as well as an explainer about ingredients such as kawakawa and horopito. Media at Hangar 22 were treated to a lunch of the new menu, starting with an amuse-bouche of Ōra King salmon tartare, tomato gel and cucumber and dill, followed by a selection of breads including pretzel rolls, seeded sourdough loaf and garlic flat bread.<br/>