The $197 Napier to Auckland fare: Air NZ price drops don't help Hawke's Bay commuters

$39 flights won't be available to commuters, with many commuter flights still costing just under or over $100. Photo / File

The new $39 Air New Zealand flights out of Napier will not help people commuting to and from Hawke's Bay for work.

looked at all flights from Hawke's Bay Airport to Auckland, and Auckland to Hawke's Bay, for all of the month of July, for a seat and bag.

While nearly every day there were the promised $39 flights in both directions, they consistently fell into the middle of the day.

The most expensive flight each day was consistently first thing in the morning, or late afternoon to early evening.

Late Friday night and early Saturday morning flights also tended to be more expensive than middle of the day flights, and mid-week flights.

The most expensive flight, when Hawke's Bay Today checked at 9.30am on Wednesday morning, was $197, from Hawke's Bay to Auckland, on Saturday, July 6, at 6.15am.

A spokesperson for Air New Zealand said the biggest fare reductions related to their lowest fares, but more expensive flights had also seen a reduction.

"Naturally, as the cheapest fare class, lead-in fares tend to sell first and we always recommend customers book early in order to secure the best possible deals."

They said flight prices would still vary on any given day, as they had before the price drop.

Prior to the announcement being made, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said he hoped commuters would be able to fly cheaply as well.

"There's no point having a very cheap fare at 11.30am or 13.30pm in the middle of the day and the fares continue to be horrendously large when most enterprises and people need to travel," Jones told the New Zealand Herald on Tuesday.

"It's no good having a cheap fare for Nana to visit the whānau whilst the day-to-day business [people] are choking with excessively high airfares."

"I want to be sure that it improves the productivity and the affordability of people who have to go in and out of the provinces very early in the morning and in the evening."

Hawke's Bay Today has approached Jones for further comment.