Hawaiian announces Honolulu-Auckland flights.
Hawaiian Airlines will become the only US carrier to fly to New Zealand when it debuts a new thrice weekly non-stop flight between Auckland and Honolulu next year.
The carrier has just announced the move, with the new NZ route to debut 14 Mar 2013 using a two-class 767-300ER aircraft with 18 business class and 240 economy class seats.
“New Zealanders are avid travellers and we believe the introduction of new nonstop flights with our winning brand of service will be welcomed in meeting pent-up demand for a Hawaii vacation,” said HA ceo Mark Dunkerley.
The route will add more than 40,000 seats annually between Hawaii and NZ, with Tourism NZ ceo Kevin Bowler also welcoming the announcement as a “significant step in improving visitor arrivals from the United States.
“The United States is a vital market for New Zealand leisure and business travel, and is a key focus for our marketing efforts given the significant potential for growth that exists. The ability to connect through Hawaii will provide a critical link for converting those considering travel into actual bookings,” Bowler said.
And Auckland Airport spokesman Glenn Wedlock said that as well as helping grow the Hawaii market, the route will also offer connections to a wide range of destinations in both the mainland USA and across New Zealand.
More information in today’s Travel Daily.