Air New Zealand's final frontier: Auckland to New York non-stop

Almost two years since Air New Zealand's first non-stop flight between Auckland and New York was due to take off, it will launch the service this weekend. The devastating impact of Covid-19 has caused what could be the airline's longest delay. But during the pandemic the airline has never moved the Big Apple from the top of the list of new destinations. And as borders rules relax and pent-up demand is released, the airline regards the route as a line in the sand in its climb out of a deep financial hole. The flight will still be the airline's longest and much of the economic rationale for flying to New York remains the same. Here the Herald looks at what has changed for planners, network chiefs and revenue managers.

As other markets take longer to recover, the United States is an even more valuable prize. The pandemic has also thrown up a key new opportunity in New York and unions have put a renewed focus on crew fatigue. But global weather patterns haven't changed and that's what makes the 14,200km flight of NZ1 to Auckland one of commercial aviation's greatest challenges.