• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, April 3, 2013

Air New Zealand is taking its focus-group approach to new heights.

To showcase the airline’s “Business Premier” service on its daily route from Los Angeles to London, the airline is conducting what it calls the first in-flight focus group to address perceived pros and cons of international travel.

The focus group will take place on a flight scheduled for April 9. The airline has enlisted a group of frequent fliers and travel experts to participate. The group will be quizzed on issues such as in-flight comfort, jet lag prevention and flight preparation as they cross multiple time zones in a flight from Los Angeles to London.

The company said it would be releasing findings from the focus group later in April. To tie consumers into the effort, the company is launching a competition via Twitter with the grand prize of a trip to London on the airline.

The focus group at 30,000 feet is the latest in a series of quirky marketing efforts from the carrier. Late last year, it produced an in-flight safety video that featured hobbits, elves and other characters tied to the release of the theatrical film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” much of which was shot in New Zealand.

Earlier, in-flight videos featured cabin staff wearing nothing but body paint and one with Richard Simmons going through safety procedures in an a plane made to look like a disco.

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