Air New Zealand says it is committed to its flagship Los Angeles-London route after axing its service to Britain through Hong Kong.
The airline will have lost tens of millions of dollars on the Hong Kong-London service that will end after six years next March and will use spare capacity to channel growth into the North American market where it has a monopoly flying directly into the United States across the Pacific.
The move is seen as critical in turning around long-haul losses and gives extra weight to the airline's confidence over doubling underlying earnings to $180 million during the current financial year.
Air New Zealand deputy chief executive Norm Thompson said profits on the Hong Kong-London route were hit by tighter margins than through the United States.
While there has been speculation the airline could end all services to London, the route through LA was performing well.