1970's Air New Zealand Menus

[Dave Homewood]

As mentioned on a recent thread about the flights to Norfolk Island, my Mum kept the aircraft menus from her's and Dad's trip to Norfolk Island around Easter 1977. They were actually on the last ever NAC flights flown by the old airline but it seems that Air New Zealand was already influencing things as the menus are their's. There are four menus, I guess two from the trip to Norfolk and two from the flight back.

The first one here is the Fantail menu:

[Dave Homewood]

And the Pukeko menu (which had the same food and intro so I have just scanned the different bits)

[Dave Homewood]

And the Tui menu

[Dave Homewood]

And lastly the Waxeye menu, with the same food as the Tui menu

[Dave Homewood]

I thought the Air New Zealand history fans would have found these of interest...

[nuuumannn]

Very nice Dave, those are real treasures. Thanks for posting them.

[Dave Homewood]

My pleasure, it's thanks to Mum for keeping them for 40 years

[davidd]

Civil aviation ephemera is probably a fairly small but vibrant part of the aviation enthusiasts' spectrum, but they are out there! One I know here in Christchurch is Gerard Morris (author of the NZ Spitfire book) who is very keen on such thing's including the even more specialised subject of aviation crockery and cutlery! A special splinter (shard?) group? I will have to bring this thread to his attention!
David D

[aerofoto]

I´ve actually collected a few of those AIR NZ bird themed menus myself .... since they were still in use during the end of the DC-10 era.

My last AIR NZ DC-10 flights .... during which I collected these particular menus .... were logged during April and June of 1980 and along the airlines AKL/HNL/LAX/HML/RAR/AKL routes.

I think (but stand to be corrected in regard to) this AIR NZ artwork was "inspired by" (not actually paintned by) an NZ artist by the name of Raymond CHING and whom specialised in painting NZ native fauna during the late 70´s.

These menus were all "GONE" by the time the B747-200 entred AIR NZ during 1981 (or not long after the type was introduced to service) .... as during the tough economi times of the early 1980´s "every item of cost" began to be closely scrutinized by the ailine .... and dispensed with where practicval/necessary.

On the subject of NZ native fauna and NZ aviation .... does everyone remember the high quality airbrushings of NZ native fauna (and other NZ native wildlife) common to Great Barrier Island and which graced the tail/rear fuselsge (and nose) sections of the DHC-6, BN-2, CHEROKKED 6, and PARTENAVIA aircraft operated by GBA during the late 1990´s ?

I consider myself very fortunate (through personal association with the airline) to having been able to get each individual aircraft to "positioned" expecially for me .... in order to be able to optimally photograph each one as it was completed over the late 1998/earlky 1999 period during which this artwork was applied to these aircraft .... and which looked "very striking" indeed.

MarK C
Bogota DC
Repoublical de Colombia

[delticman]

On a recent flight with Emirates, to and return from Brisbane, a menu was handed out with the immigration cards inside. I thought was a nice touch after thinking, this was like Air New Zealand in the 1970's but then we have moved on since then and so have I.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

I can vaguely remember similar menu designs on Air NZ's DC-8s during the early 1970s on trans-Tasman services.

Looking at those menus, I note the food was all cold dishes. The limitations of a Fokker Friendship galley, I guess. I wonder if the previous services operated by QANTAS Douglas DC-4 airliners included hot meals? In retrospect, if I could go back in time and have a choice of travelling to Norfolk Island on a DC-4 or a F27, I think I'd take the DC-4 anyday, although back then my attitude may have been different as the DC-4s were still common, but old-fashioned airliners.

[aerofoto]

I too vaguely recall the early to mid 1970´s AIR NEW ZEALAND menu covers .... from my DC-8 and DC-10 flights within this period also aand along AKL/MEL/AKL and AAKL/RAR/AKL routes.

As I recall .... these were little more than pamphlets containing a couple of pages .... the white cover of which were decorated with a stlylised tripple red/orange Frangipani (or it might have been a Hibiscus) flower arrangement artwork similar to that which graced AIR NEW ZEALAND seat covers during the same period also.

Mark C
Bogota DC
Republica de Colombia

[ewen]

Not nearly as nice as Dave's, here is an Air NZ '92 menu/postcard from a trans-Pacific crossing;





I have lots of these but mainly the older TEAL postcard menus from the 1950's.

[Dave Homewood]

The thing that amuses me about the 1977 bird menus is a menu is usually designed to list a range of choices from which you select, but these ones seem more to say "this is what you're getting", no choices available.

Still, it's better than tea and a cookie on flights these days. I recall the days when I'd get on a flight from Hamilton to Wellington and receive a full meal, with a pudding on the side, tea or coffee, and cheese crackers.... and then change planes at Wellington for Christchurch and get another whole meal of the same quality an hour later. They must save heaps on catering staff and equipment these days compared with the 1990's.

[ewen]

Jan 7, 2017 2:16:00 GMT 12 aerofoto said:

I too vaguely recall the early to mif 1970´s AIR NEW ZEALAND menu covers .... from my DC-8 and DC-10 flights within this period also aand along AKL/MEL/AKL and AAKL/RAR/AKL routes.

As I recall .... these were little more than pamphlets containing a couple of pages .... the white cover of which were decorated with a stlylised tripple red/orange Frangipani (or it might have been a Hibiscus) flower arrangement artwork similar to that which graced AIR NEW ZEALAND seat covers during the same period also.

Mark C
Bogota DC
Republica de Colombia

Was a Hibiscus I think Mark, in reference to the Auckland-Nandi 'Hibiscus Route'.

[ewen]

Dave, I think the only choice you got in those days, and before, was tea or coffee!

[aerofoto]

The thing that amuses me about the 1977 bird menus is a menu is usually designed to list a range of choices from which you select, but these ones seem more to say "this is what you're getting", no choices available

YEP .... that´s the way it was back then (during the 60´s, 70´s, 80´s, and into the 90´s) .... on AIR NZ

Those flying First Class always got a choice from the buffet meal service offered .... and that was was then translated into Busines Class much later when AIR NZ introduce it (during the 80´s I think).

Those flying Ecomomy during the above period "got what we were given" .... with a souvenir menu card .... until these stopped during the early 80´s.

Today .... those flying First (we don´t call it tht now though)/Business/and Premuium Ecomnomy get both the menu card and meal choice/s .... whereas those in Ecomomy/Zoo Class get just the meal choice/options only.

AIR NZ .... as I recall .... only began offering a choice of menu, in economy, from the 1990´s .... but .... I think AMERICAN, CONTINENTAL, PAN AM, UNITED, and even HAWAIIAN too, were offering a "this or that" choice of meal, in economy, from the 1970´s and right up to their withdeawal from the AKL route by the 1990´s.

AMERICAN is back now of course (just getting off-topic for a moment). I was on their inaugural flight northbound to LAX during June .... and flew the same route with them again (here .... all the way to Colombia) during November .... but BOY OH BOY since their inasugural flight they´ve "really cut back ob the quality of their catering" within this short period of time whilst still offering 2 meal choices in enconomy as well as a menu card too .... covering both for the main meal and breakfast options, but, they do come around a 3rd time with a warm snack and a sweet course in-between both main meal services as well.

Was a Hibiscus I think Mark, in reference to the Auckland-Nandi 'Hibiscus Route'

That´ll be the one the (just getting back on topic) .... because I distincly recall the white pamplet type menue cover being graced with the same (or similar) 3 flowers arranghement as graced the AIR NZ seat covers during the 70´s.

Those TEAL menus will "more than collectable" by now .... I imagine

Mark C
Bogota DC
Republica de Colombia

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Jan 7, 2017 9:13:43 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Still, it's better than tea and a cookie on flights these days. I recall the days when I'd get on a flight from Hamilton to Wellington and receive a full meal, with a pudding on the side, tea or coffee, and cheese crackers.... and then change planes at Wellington for Christchurch and get another whole meal of the same quality an hour later. They must save heaps on catering staff and equipment these days compared with the 1990's.

I wish they wouldn't persist with that term cookie. As far as I am aware, English, Maori and Sign are the official languages in New Zealand, NOT American.

And about hot meals, back “in the day” some flights in New Zealand were rediculously too-short to be serving up hot meals. I can recall one particular Air NZ 737 flight I was on from Christchurch to Wellington where they served up hot breakfast dishes to the entire full cabin and the airliner was descending into a Wellington southerly along Evans Bay on the approach to Wellington Airport and was starting to drop below the level of houses on Mount Victoria about the time the last trolley got removed from the aisle and stowed away. I even commented to the person sitting next to me that it was stupidity to offer a full hot meal service on such a short flight. If it had taken a few seconds longer to collect the dishes, that last trolley would have still been in the aisle as the airliner touched down.

[kiwithrottlejockey]

Jan 7, 2017 9:13:43 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

They must save heaps on catering staff and equipment these days compared with the 1990's.

The public demanded CHEAPER airfares, so the airlines catered to that demand by getting rid of meal service AND squeezing up the rows in the cabin so they could fit in heaps more seats. Hence the reason for today's squeeze class which everybody moans about, yet still expects cheaper air fares.

[Dave Homewood]

I wasn't moaning. I realise that the cutbacks have allowed much cheaper flights, and welcome it.

Mind you I seriously think the meals on the planes in the olden days were far better than meals you get in the airports now. Air New Zealand used to do great food.