Just a few weeks after New Zealand announced their reopening to international travelers, Air New Zealand has announced a nonstop New York City to Auckland flight.
The flight will operate three times a week and will run between John F. Kennedy Airport in New York and Auckland International Airport. The inaugural flight will take off on Sept. 17, 2022.
The flight will be on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and run year-round. According to Air New Zealand, “the new service further deepens the alliance between Air New Zealand and United Airlines.”
Air New Zealand has been on hiatus from international flying for two years, but with New Zealand borders opening to US passport holders on May 2, they felt this was the right time to launch this flight.
“This is a breathtakingly beautiful part of the world. We’ve been keeping all the best spots, and hidden gems warm for our visitors while they’ve been gone and now, we’re ready to show them what they’ve been missing,” said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran. “The US has always been a key market for us, and this new route cements our commitment to growing opportunities for tourism between the two countries. In the six years leading up to Covid, the US visitor numbers to New Zealand doubled so we expect our much-awaited non-stop service to be incredibly strong year-round.”
The flight runs Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and will leave New York City at 9:55 p.m. local time and will take around 16 hours northbound and 17.5 hours southbound. It lands at 7:30 a.m. local time. On the return, it leaves Auckland at 7:40 p.m. and arrives in New York City at 7:55 p.m. The airline is looking forward to the new flight to be their flagship route.
“New Zealand allows its visitors to slow down. It’s home to magnificent landscapes, a tremendous amount of adrenaline inducing activities, scenic tours, wellness retreats and world class food and wine trails – there’s something for everyone,” said the airline. “We know almost three-quarters of visitors from the US travel beyond New Zealand’s main tourist centres so once customers arrive in Auckland, we have connections to 20 different regions around the country, all within two hours. Visitors will not run out of places to see.”
Tickets are now on sale at www.airnewzealand.com.
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