Air New Zealand to Launch Flights to New York in September

(24 Mar 2022, 11:53 +07)  Air New Zealand has unveiled plans to launch flights to New York on 17 September.

The airline will operate the thrice weekly Auckland (AKL) - New York (JFK) route with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

Greg Foran, Air New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer, said that with international flying on hiatus for two years and the New Zealand border reopening on 2 May to visa-waiver countries, this is the moment Kiwis have been waiting for.

Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

"New York is an iconic yet familiar city, a bucket list item. And now for the first time, Kiwis can visit the city of all cities with a non-stop flight. New Zealand lets you slow down – in New York, everything is bigger and faster, it's exciting and awe inspiring – and it's now closer than ever," Mr. Foran said. "The US has always been a key market for us, and this new route cements our commitment to developing growing tourism opportunities between the two countries. In the six years leading up to COVID19, the US visitor numbers to New Zealand doubled and looking at the average spend in New Zealand by US tourists, we estimate that this new route would contribute an additional $65 million per year into the local economy. Traditionally, flight numbers 1 and 2 are used for an airline's flagship route. And that's what New York will be – our flagship route."

Air New Zealand's customers will be able to benefit from the airline's partnership with United Airlines, enabling them to connect to domestic destinations across the US as well as Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom.

The new service will also provide greater choice for travellers between New Zealand and North America, with Air New Zealand serving seven destinations in North America – Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angles, San Francisco, Vancouver - and soon - New York.

Air New Zealand's Auckland (AKL) - New York (JFK) Schedule

"We've worked incredibly hard over the last few years to make this ultra-long-haul service a reality – it's one of the longest routes in the world, at just over 16 hours northbound and 17 and a half hours southbound," said Mr. Foran. "To ensure customers arrive in New York feeling refreshed, we've put a lot of thought into the onboard experience and teams are working around the clock to make sure this a great flying experience."

Flights, subject to government and regulatory requirements, will arrive in to and depart from Terminal 1 at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

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