Air New Zealand officially launch direct routes to New York City
It may be just short of 17 hours in the sky, but this new ‘game-changing’ route will allow Aussies get to one of the world’s best cities easier than ever before.
Dust off your passport and pack your best pair of over-ear headphones, because a new ultra long-haul route is here — and it’s perfect for those who cannot stand a layover at LAX.
As one of the longest flights offered in the world, Aussies will now be able to jet across the Tasman to Auckland before boarding a direct flight to New York City – a route completely bypassing the chaos often encountered on the West Coast of the US.
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Air New Zealand’s 16-hour outbound journey, and almost 18-hour return jaunt, is one of the growing number of ultra-long haul flights being rolled out around the world.
The flight is now one of the easiest ways for east coast Aussies to get to the east coast of the US, with flight times to Auckland from Brisbane and Sydney sitting at around three hours one way. Add on the new 17-hour flight to New York’s JFK Airport means you’ll spend around 20 hours in the air.
“It’s really significant and something that’s been in the making for four years, the airline’s CEO Greg Foran said ahead of the first flight from the departure gate in Auckland.
“The US is the third biggest market for us [New Zealand], it’s worth a billion or a billion and a half incoming into New Zealand. This flight alone based on the limited schedule of three flights a week will generate $65 million to the New Zealand economy so it’s a really big deal.”
Officially taking off on September 17, the new route for New Zealand’s national carrier is a cheeky win over rival airline Qantas — which won’t be launching the same route between the capital city and JFK until June next year.
Speaking of the recent decision to mimic Air New Zealand’s launch, Mr Foran said he wasn’t surprised by the rival airline’s decision to jump on the same route.
“I’m not surprised by Qantas,” he laughed.
“Why wouldn’t they? At some point under their Project Sunrise they would like to be able to go direct, they just don’t have the metal to be able to do that at this stage … They don’t actually have a plane at this stage that can do the distance.
“So trying to set something up is something that makes sense. We compete with them in almost every route so, welcome them on. Competition is good, and we will give them a good wave when we pass them in the skies.”
What’s the Auckland—New York flight like?
The Air New Zealand flights will operate three times a week on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
The journey is long, especially for those sitting towards the back of the plane. Luckily for me, I was able to experience all the wonders towards the front end of the aircraft — being the airline’s award-winning long-haul Business Premier offering.
With a flat-lay bed and almost anything you want on tap (especially if you love a pinot noir), it’s clearly the best way to endure the lengthy journey in one go.
But in economy, despite the length of the trip and the lack of legroom — passengers said the journey flew by, literally.
“It's been incredibly long … I don’t think when we signed up for 16-plus hours anything can quite prepare you for it,” economy passenger Rangiora laughed, who planned on spending two weeks in Big Apple.
“It’s been surprisingly not too bad at all though. I think we might have some early onset jet lag going on right now, but it’s been really good. Bit of sleep and an excessive amount of movies along the way … but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
“To be able to go to New York directly is wonderful.”
The new route is one of the longest in the world and Air New Zealand has been working to upgrade its cabin service so passengers aren’t struggling throughout the lengthy trip.
At the initial announcement of the route, Mr Foran said the cabin will provide comfort for all travellers in each cabin class.
“Customers have the choice to either connect directly onto their New York flight or arrive a few days early and explore everything Auckland has to offer,” Mr Foran said earlier this year.
“We’ve worked hard over the last few years to make this ultra-long-haul service a reality – it’s one of the longest routes in the world.
“To ensure customers arrive in New York feeling refreshed, we’ve put a lot of thought into the on-board experience and teams are working around the clock to make sure this is a great flying experience.”
Why this a game-changing flight for Australians
Following the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially on aviation, the way the world views and desires travel has changed.
More and more airlines are joining the long-haul game, given people’s priorities have shifted towards concerns for their health.
According to Linus Bauer, managing director of Bauer Aviation Advisory, ultra-long-haul flights have significant benefits over the current and more common model of stopping and changing planes at a big hub midway through your journey.
Speaking about long-haul flying to Europe specifically, Mr Bauer said airlines who embrace these types of routes “capture a whole new demographic of travellers who may have previously opted to take the cheapest option including a stopover in the Middle East or Asia”.
At Qantas’ full-year earnings in August, CEO Alan Joyce said the airline would also embark on a new route from Australia to New York — via Auckland — from mid-2023.
The announcement put the route in direct competition with Air New Zealand.
Mr Joyce said the reason to embark on the route came down to the success of the Perth—London journey, and growing customer demands for journeys without layovers.
He explained that flying via Auckland would provide “better connectivity” from more destinations in Australia, before an uninterrupted 16-hour flight to New York.
“We think this route will be very popular with Australians given the opportunity to connect via Auckland and it also gives New Zealanders more choice,” he said at the time.
This writer travelled on board the inaugural flight from Auckland to New York as a guest of Air New Zealand.
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