Super-jumbos heading to Auckland

A Singapore Airlines A380 aircraft.

Air NZ’s alliance with Singapore Airlines adds 55,000 summer seats to give us a boost at the Aussies’ expense.

Singapore Airlines will start A380 services to Auckland in what is Australia's loss and New Zealand's gain.

The first of the airline's super-jumbos will touch down next Tuesday at the start of a five-month summer service that will boost capacity by 55,000 seats and mark the start of changes to its operations here as part of a wide-ranging alliance with Air New Zealand.

Singapore Airlines has reduced its A380 services to Sydney and Melbourne as part of a revamp of its international routes which has included deploying the double-decker planes on services to India and now New Zealand.

Singapore Airlines New Zealand general manager Edwin Chiang said the carrier was having to adapt to quickly changing markets.

"We have recognised that we have to be very nimble and that could be the result of putting [capacity on] at the right time - that's why we started here as a seasonal operations first and the long-term goal is to keep it here consistently."

Singapore Airlines was the first to fly the A380 commercially, starting services in 2007.

Auckland Airport is gearing up to receive more of the big planes, making an $8.5 million extension to its baggage hall and building two longer baggage carousels.

Chiang said the Boeing 777s had 42 business class seats, while the A380 had 60 in business class.

He said he had already had interest in the aircraft's 12 suites which were new on this route. Prices for the areas which become private rooms with full-size beds start at just over $7000 for a return trip to Singapore.

"I remain optimistic that they will be well received. There will always be people who travel in these suites either for business or leisure."

The airline was also adding 23 supplementary services between Singapore and Christchurch during summer. Some of the flights would coincide with the Cricket World Cup which would result in more interest from the fast-growing Indian market.

"Even if you don't have more people travelling to watch a game, it will put New Zealand on the map in people's minds," Chiang said.

Singapore Airlines operates 12 weekly flights to Auckland and a daily service to Christchurch.

Air New Zealand will take over five services operated by Singapore and add two flights a week.

It is estimated that total capacity will increase by 30 per cent.

The alliance with Air New Zealand is one of the biggest shake-ups in years for international travel to and from New Zealand.

The deal - which has approval to run for the next four years - will allow the two airlines to co-ordinate their operations between New Zealand and Singapore, and on certain services beyond the two countries.

Alliance sectors operating directly between Singapore and New Zealand will result in Air New Zealand re-commencing services between Auckland and Singapore after eight years. Co-operation on direct services between Singapore and New Zealand will include revenue sharing, codesharing and co-ordination of capacity and pricing.

On alliance routes which comprise a direct service between Singapore and New Zealand as part of a connecting journey, co-operation will differ depending on the country in which the route originates or ends. On some alliance routes (including to India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, South Africa and the United Kingdom) the airlines will codeshare and co-ordinate pricing while on others, co-operation will extend only to codesharing.

The deal will throw more emphasis on Singapore as a transit destination and give Air New Zealand access to more than 50 destinations on the Singapore Airlines' and its subsidiary SilkAir's networks.