A closer look at the new Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Auckland.
Giant United States airlines United and Delta are flying into Auckland today through the tail end of Cyclone Lola in the start of new services from Los Angeles.
United is extending its existing operation to include flights between the two cities while Delta Air Lines lands in this country forthe first time with a daily flight, due to land just around 8am.
United’s first Los Angeles (LAX)-Auckland (AKL) flight is due to land at about 6.25am. The flights of UA642, will use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The new non-stop service will fly three times a week to start before increasing to four times a week in December and is part of the airline’s broader expansion efforts in New Zealand.
By the end of this year, United will operate double the number of flights in New Zealand than it did in 2019. It operates from San Francisco to Auckland and will this summer start services into Christchurch, the first non-stop US link the southern city has had for 20 years.
“At United, we’re very proud to add three new weekly flights between Auckland and Los Angeles. It’s been a strong year of growth for the airline in the South Pacific and we look forward to connecting more people with their favourite destinations,” said Tim Wallis, regional manager - Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti.
And later this year American Airlines will return to Auckland with direct flights from Los Angeles in addition to services from Dallas Fort Worth, meaning all three of the big US carriers are competing with Air New Zealand between AKL and LAX.
Delta will continue to fly year-round from next April, dropping down to three times a week during the New Zealand winter but it will then use its flagship Airbus A350 instead of the ex-LATAM aircraft it is using during summer.
Air New Zealand flies up to 12 times a week from Los Angeles to Auckland and overall capacity is soaring.
A Delta Air Lines A350-900. The airline debuts today. Photo / Supplied
Cirium data from Auckland firm Eagle Aviation Consulting shows there are 11 more flights from Los Angeles (LAX) per week this summer compared to the same time a year ago and seats have doubled to 6821.
Air New Zealand has services between Auckland and the US, as the airline flies to Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
Qantas has stepped up non-stop flights between Auckland and New York to four times a week.
Overall capacity between Auckland and North America is 30 per cent higher this summer than immediately before the pandemic.
Victoria Courtney, managing director of Flight Centre Travel Group NZ said the arrival of Delta was exciting.
Increased airline capacity to LAX and the rest of North America was being driven by inbound demand from American customers, although it also provides Kiwis with great options for exploring the US.
“We are confident we will see booking numbers increase from Auckland to LAX as more competitive pricing is now likely. This is great news for Kiwis keen to head to the US for either leisure or business.”
It’s not only across the Pacific where competition is climbing for summer.
Qantas flexes its muscles
Qantas yesterday launched its daily Wellington to Brisbane service using an Embraer E190 aircraft, offering more than 1,300 seats between the two cities each week.
The launch sees Qantas offer more international seats and flights out of Wellington than any airline and exceeds pre-Covid capacity.
The launch of the new route coincides with other increases to Qantas and Jetstar services flying across the Tasman. Qantas will increase flights from Auckland to New York from three to four times per week and flights from Christchurch to Sydney will increase from 11 to 14 per week. Jetstar will increase flights from Auckland to Brisbane from four per week to daily.
Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace – who used to be Air NZ revenue boss - said the launch of daily Qantas flights to Brisbane provides a new opportunity for Wellingtonians to explore Queensland, and just in time for the peak summer.
“New Zealand is an incredibly important part of the Qantas Group network. We’ve been flying across the Tasman for more than 50 years and with more than 200 return flights available between Qantas and Jetstar each week, we’re offering more seats for Kiwi travellers than we did before Covid.”
The E190 has 94 seats and is seen as a way for Qantas to make “thinner” routes without a big passenger base viable.
To mark the launch of the new Wellington route Qantas is offering sale fares to Brisbane from New Zealand’s three major cities, starting at $249 one way from Wellington and $269 from Auckland and Christchurch.
Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism
