Air NZ increases flights

By Felicity Anderson, Nzoom.com Business News Editor

Monday 20th May 2002

Air New Zealand (NZX: AIR ) plans to increase flights, especially to Los Angeles and Sydney, and increase the size of the aircraft it uses on some routes.

Norm Thompson, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, says the move is in response to growing demand in some key markets. It will also coincide with the Northern Hemisphere winter between November and April 2003.

Thompson says a particular milestone is the airline will be operating two daily services to LA.

Other increased services include a return to daily services between Auckland and Hong Kong.

The airline says it will also run daily services between Auckland and Singapore as well as code share with Singapore Airlines out of Christchurch.

Air NZ and SIA had an air share agreement that saw the NZ flag carrier gathering revenue from four flights a week and SIA from three flights a week. But that was terminated by SIA.

Air NZ then decided after the post-September 11 travel downturn, the four flights were unsustainable and cut back, putting in domestic links to Auckland and increasing the flights out of that city instead.

An Air NZ spokesman says the airline now has a code share agreement with SIA, as part of the Star Alliance, out of Christchurch. That allows the airlines to sell a certian percentage of seats on each other's flights.

Air NZ says its Auckland - LA services increases to 14 a week and Sydney - LA to five.

The airline says a third Auckland - Honolulu flight per week is also planned, connecting with Air Canada to Vancouver.

Getting across the Tasman will be easier too with flights between Auckland and Sydney increasing from 20 - 28 a week and Christchurch to get a Boeing 767 aircraft for its connection to Sydney instead of the 737 Air NZ has been using.

Comments from our readers

No comments yet