Air New Zealand To Restart International Network, Including 4 U.S. Routes

New Zealand is finally back on the travel map.

Nonstop Air New Zealand flights between its home country and 4 U.S. cities and several other international destinations are set to resume as soon as February 28, 2022.

This news comes as the remote nation of islands in the Southwest Pacific has confirmed that travel restrictions will begin to ease as of February 27, 2022.

Let’s dig into the details of this very exciting development.

Fly Air New Zealand From 5 U.S. Cities to Auckland (AKL)

Flights between Air New Zealand’s hub in Auckland (AKL) and Los Angeles (LAX) have been operating throughout the pandemic primarily for freight purposes and to serve those who have been eligible to travel between the 2 nations while the stringent travel restrictions have been in place.

However, on April 14, 2022, Air New Zealand will begin reconstructing its U.S. route map once again, with the return of its nonstop service to San Francisco (SFO), which will be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Next to return will be a daily flight to Honolulu (HNL) from July 4, 2022.

Just 3 days later, on July 7, 2022, service to Houston (IAH) will resume on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Finally, the carrier’s nonstop flights to Chicago (ORD) will resume on September 30, 2022. This route will also be served 3 times per week, operating on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The 8,184-mile leg from Chicago (ORD) to Auckland (AKL) has a block time of a casual 16 hours and 30 minutes, situating it among the world’s longest scheduled flights. 

Each of the routes to the U.S. will be operated by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. These aircraft sport 2 different configurations for Air New Zealand. Both have a business class cabin with lie-flat seats, a premium economy cabin, and an economy cabin. The only difference between the 2 variants is the number of seats in each cabin.

Hot Tip: In advance of Air New Zealand relaunching its international route network, read up on everything you need to know about its loyalty program: Airpoints.

The Rest of Air New Zealand’s International Route Network

In addition to the aforementioned Los Angeles (LAX) route, Air New Zealand’s minimal pandemic-era international route network has continued to include Seoul (ICN), Shanghai (PVG), Taipei (TPE), and Tokyo (NRT).

Welcoming the return of Air New Zealand from Auckland are the Australian cities of Adelaide (ADL), Brisbane (BNE), Cairns (CNS), Gold Coast (OOL), Hobart (HBA), Melbourne (MEL), Sunshine Coast (MCY), and Sydney (SYD).

Additional airports outside of Australia that will see service resume include Nadi (NAD) in Fiji, Nouméa (NOU) in New Caledonia, Papeete (PPT) in French Polynesia, and Singapore (SIN).

Air New Zealand also plans to resume international service from Christchurch (CHC), Wellington (WLG), and Queenstown (ZQN) airports in the coming months.

Final Thoughts

Throughout the pandemic, New Zealand has had some of the strictest restrictions in the world when it comes to international travel. Now, as it looks like travel just might be “back” for good, Air New Zealand is eager to connect the islands of its home country to the rest of the world once again.