It’s no secret to any of you who have followed this blog for more than a little bit that I love carbs New Zealand. It’s just the most delightful blend of incredible scenery, sports like rugby (where the rules seem to be a mix of football and murder), and incredibly friendly people. Also there are the flightless and unassuming kiwi birds, which are awwwwdorable if not a little strange.
American has flown to Auckland from LAX for a while now, but American announced a seasonal expansion into NZed, made possible by the recent approval of the antitrust immunity arrangement between American and Qantas for flights between Australia/NZed and the USA.
If you want to see my trip report to New Zealand, including a First Class flight on the Qantas A380, check out the below (warning: this is back when I believed in an absolutely obnoxious watermark on my photos and when I HDR’d everything….sorry)
Air New Zealand 777-300ER Coach LAX-AKL
Driving to Taupo via the Coromandel
Orakei Korako, Taupo, and driving to Wellington
Queenstown and Surrounding Area
Milford Sound
To Christchurch
Qantas 737-800 First Class, Shangri-La Sydney, Qantas First Class Lounge Sydney, Qantas A380 First Class SYD-LAX
LAX to Christchurch
When it comes to New Zealand, the generally accepted guideline for visiting the country is that the South Island is the prettier one. The North Island remains the commercial centre of the country with Auckland and the tech-growth capital of Wellington, but the most beautiful parts of New Zealand are on the South Island. American will be the first airline from the USA to fly to the South Island of New Zealand when it launches service to Christchurch in October 2020 on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Christchurch is a vibrant city with a strong local culture, unfortunately more well known recently for tragedies there (most of you remember Christchurch from the devastating earthquake of 2010 and the unspeakable shooting earlier this year). That said, there’s plenty to see in Christchurch but it’s also a short Air New Zealand flight away from Queenstown, which is one of my favorite places on the planet.
Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand
DFW to Auckland
Yep, American is finally doing it. They’re flying nonstop to New Zealand’s largest city from their home base of DFW starting next October using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This is a huge boon for American and was widely expected ever since Air New Zealand began flying nonstop to Houston from Auckland.
These flights will be seasonal and 3x weekly initially, but man it’s going to be great to fly nonstop to one of the best places on earth! Here are the operating schedules for the new flights courtesy of American:
| Origin | Destination | Departure Time* | Arrival Time* | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW | AKL | 10:30 p.m. | 7:40 a.m./8:40 a.m. (+2 days) |
Oct. 25, 2020–March 25, 2021 3 x weekly through Nov. 29 Daily starting Dec. 1 |
| AKL | DFW | 11:15 a.m./12:15 p.m. | 7:10 a.m. | Oct. 27, 2020–March 27, 2021 3 x weekly through Nov. 29 Daily starting Dec. 3 |
| LAX | CHC | 11:30 p.m. | 9:25 a.m./10:25 a.m. | Oct. 25, 2020–March 24, 2021 3 x weekly |
| CHC | LAX | 1:10 p.m./2:10 p.m. | 6 a.m. | Oct. 27, 2020–March 26, 2021 3x weekly |
On a scale of 1-Frodo how excited are you about the new flights? Tell me in the comments below!
Uh, Auckland isn’t our capital. That’s Wellington!
Oops, well that’s awkward. Apologies to the Kiwis, will update the post.
Interesting news. I don’t mean to be judgmental and maybe it’s still too early without enough coffee but the first two paragraphs of this blog post seem painful to read.
I find this news interesting since Air New Zealand just announced non-stops to New York.
Cleaned it up a bit, thanks for telling me!