Air New Zealand has reduced its flight schedule for the Whangārei and Bay of Islands airports as part of its current effort to conserve aviation fuel. Photo / NZME
Air New Zealand is cutting two weekly flights from its Whangārei schedule and others from its Bay of Islands routes, as it steps up fuel-saving measures amid soaring global aviation fuel prices.
The region’s smaller operator, Barrier Air, said it was increasing airfares by $15-$20 to manage rising costs.
Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper said he had been advised by Air New Zealand that two flights scheduled for Whangārei would be affected weekly but had no further details.
Air NZ told the Northern Advocate that Bay of Islands Airport flights in and out of Kerikeri would also be affected, but in a more limited way.
Barrier Air’s services in Northland include a 14-seater aircraft flying 21 times weekly between Auckland and Kaitāia and 16 times between Auckland and Kerikeri.
Barrier Air chief executive Grant Bacon said he was notified on Monday of a 95c per litre fuel increase that was effective immediately, adding $1.2 million to the airline’s annual business costs.
The company’s consistent customer base and steady demand meant it preferred to try to absorb that cost with modest fare increases rather than by cutting flights at this stage. However, if demand softened in response to those increases, the airline would have to consider reducing services.
Bacon said the company would likely review the situation mid-year, especially if unrest in the Middle East continued to drive fuel volatility.
Air New Zealand announced on Thursday that about 1100 flights (5%) of the airline’s domestic and international routes would be cut from now until early May.
The move would affect about 44,000 of the 1.9 million passenger trips scheduled during that time, with most being reaccommodated or eligible for a refund or credit.
No route would be axed completely.
An Air NZ spokesperson told the Advocate that passengers booked on affected flights were being contacted directly, and most had been as of Friday. Due to the complexity of the changes to the schedule, the company wouldn’t publish the affected flights.
“To help keep flying as affordable as possible and be as efficient with fuel as we can be, we have consolidated a small number of flights between March 16 and May 3,” the spokesperson said.
“Affected customers will experience minimal disruption, with the majority travelling on the same day as their original booking.”
Northland MP Grant McCallum said he was privy to a full list of the cancelled flights, which were all in the mid-morning to mid-afternoon.
While it was “really disappointing” to see regional services being reduced, it was understandable given the global situation, McCallum said. He was pleased there were no adjustments for Northland over Easter, describing it as “a small blessing for tourism here”.
Like Couper and other regional mayors interviewed by the media this week, McCallum said he was very keen to see any reduced regional flight schedules being returned to normal once the global situation stabilised and fuel prices eased.
He and Couper both stressed that maintaining strong connectivity for all regions was crucial.
Air NZ’s new chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar told One News this week the current situation was at a level where people should only “panic slowly”.
The cancellations mostly affect flights to and from Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland, with some smaller centres also impacted. He said affected flights would be kept to the more remote parts of the country.
“We will reaccommodate passengers who are affected on to flights the same day – by and large. If two flights are half-full, we are consolidating that into a single flight so that we are only burning one aircraft’s worth of fuel."
While the changes were currently planned to last until early May, they could be extended, he said.
“We will have these interventions in place until fuel prices get back to what I would define as the ‘normal range’ – between $US80-$90 per barrel.”
Thursday’s aviation fuel prices, for instance, were $US170per barrel.
Ravishankar said while Air NZ was not currently seeking any Government support for the 51% taxpayer-funded airline, he couldn’t rule it out, given it was impossible to foresee what might further develop with the Middle East conflict.
Consumer New Zealand is reminding passengers that if a rescheduled flight doesn’t suit them, they’re entitled to a refund.
Chief executive Jon Duffy told One News that passengers who accepted a refund could also be repaid for any other expenses they incurred by having to travel later.
Meanwhile, motorists also face ongoing uncertainty around fuel pricing and supply, with at least two Northland service stations running out of fuel in the past two days, and prices escalating despite warnings from Resources Minister Shane Jones that the Commerce Commission could take action against retailers found to be price-gouging.
The New Zealand Automobile Association offers the following advice for motorists wanting to make their fuel stretch further:
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most of which she spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast.