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WATCH OUT QANTAS, AIR NEW ZEALAND IS EYEING NEW YORK FLIGHTS TOO

Apparently Qantas isn't the only airline considering direct flights from Oceania to New York! Air New Zealand has flagging the destination as a potential future addition to its network.

Apparently Qantas isn’t the only airline considering direct flights from Oceania to New York! Air New Zealand has flagging the destination as a potential future addition to its network.

Let the competition for the Big Apple begin!

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The Kiwi carrier’s Chief Executive, Christopher Luxon, hinted at the direct Auckland-New York service in an interview with Forbes.com, during which he said that he sees ultra-long haul flights as the last remaining avenue for airlines to attract flyers.

A similar sentiment was expressed by Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson back in 2015, when he said the industry has exhausted all possible inflight entertainment options and now needs to look at faster, longer routes.

Air New Zealand 787-9

With this in mind, Luxon said he’s keen to see how far he can take his airline, which is already operating some of the longest flights in the world including Auckland to Houston trekking a distance of over 12,000 km.

“We are one of the top five airlines in world in terms of distance.”

Christopher Luxon, Air New Zealand Chief Executive

“We end up flying a normal international flight for 12 or 13 hours.”

So where could Air New Zealand go?

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Luxon said that while he hasn’t yet evaluated whether the carrier could fly to New York, he’d love to secure new aircraft that could send the airline’s guests to the popular city along with Chicago.

The addition of the two destinations would bring Air New Zealand’s US network up to six cities, which currently includes services to Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Honolulu.

The airline would also find itself competing with Qantas (again), which is planning to launch Sydney to New York services by 2020.

KarryOn contact Air New Zealand for additional comment and was advised that: “Air New Zealand is constantly assessing its route network however we don’t have any route announcements to make at present”.

Are you keen to see Air New Zealand flying to the Big Apple?