Scott Tasker, Auckland Airport's GM Customer and Aeronautical Commercial talks tourism comeback and how Auckland Airport is ready for the influx of people. Video / NZ Herald
October will be the busiest school holiday period at Auckland Airport for three years as travel continues to recover strongly.
The return of American Airlines and United Airlines will result in a 20 per cent month-on-month increase in capacity to US destinations
Five airlines will be flying between Auckland and North America offering up to 60 flights a week over the summer period.
Auckland will be connected to eight non-stop destinations in North America during summer 2022/2023; Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, New York, Honolulu, and Vancouver.
American Airlines is advertising cut-price return Economy fares starting at under $1500 for flights throughout its big US network.
Scott Tasker, general manager customer and aero commercial, said it was an exciting way to bookend the month, with the restart of United Airlines on the San Francisco route at the beginning of the school holidays and the end-of-month American Airlines launch from its Dallas Fort Worth mega-hub providing greater connectivity between New Zealand and North America.
Air New Zealand's Chicago non-stop connection is restarting.
"So all these great services coming on stream across October are adding nearly 14,000 seats, or around 20 per cent seat capacity, month-on-month between New Zealand and North America, taking overall capacity to close to 82,000 seats," said Tasker.
American Airlines is about to start daily services to Dallas-Fort Worth. Photo / Supplied
Over the October school holidays around 13,000 travellers are heading to the United States, making it the second most popular destination behind Australia. Overall, more than 600,000 passengers are expected to fly, either domestically or internationally, in and out of Auckland Airport this school holiday.
Capacity gets another bump with the return of Air Canada in early November which will compete with Air New Zealand to Vancouver.
Capacity on the Tasman - where prices have been high due to high demand and limited capacity - also benefits from new connections with China Airlines flying to Taipei via Brisbane from October 2 and low cost carrier AirAsia X services to Kuala Lumpur via Sydney from early November.
Singapore Airlines and Emirates are also putting bigger planes into Auckland over the summer.
Tasker said that by the Christmas holidays, there would be 23 international airlines flying to 35 destinations, roughly 70 per cent of capacity at the same time in 2019.
Just on a year ago, with closed borders and Auckland locked down, Auckland Airport was enduring its lowest passenger numbers since it opened in 1966.
"While some overseas markets are back at or close to 100 per cent, our capacity recovery trajectory is close to the likes of Singapore and Australia," said Tasker.
He said that for a smoother journey, travellers needed to be prepared
"There's definitely going to be some busy periods across the day during the October school holidays but while queues may form, they should move pretty quickly."
The Family Lane at border processing, which was popular last school holidays, is back again for the October break.
It's operating at Customs and Aviation Security screening for international departures, and MPI biosecurity screening at international arrivals.
"So hopefully, that helps relieve some of the stress of getting through those essential border processes with children."
The recently updated Covid-19 protocols means mask wearing is no longer a requirement for anyone in the airport terminals, international travellers don't need proof of vaccination, and self-testing on arrival isn't required although international passengers will be offered a free rapid antigen test before leaving the arrivals area.
Scott Tasker, Auckland Airport's GM Customer and Aeronautical Commercial. Photo / Dean Purcell.
Passengers still have to fill in the New Zealand Traveller Declaration form, and it is recommended to complete it online ahead of the flight to New Zealand to smooth the way through border formalities.
Tasker said there was some construction work currently underway to upgrade the international arrivals area, so there may be times when processing takes longer than usual for travellers arriving into Auckland.
He advises passengers to check on what retail outlets are open.
Outside the terminal, work is underway on building the Transport Hub, with a new covered public pick-up/drop-off expected to open in late 2023.
All public parking at the terminal (short and long term) has relocated to Car Parks D and E – a covered 5- to 10-minute walk from the terminal. Drop offs areas are unchanged, including those for taxis, ride shares, SkyDrive bus or the AirportLink bus connection from Puhinui Station.
What's new:
• Air Chathams: Auckland-Norfolk Island, once a week from September 1 • Air New Zealand: Auckland-JFK, New York, three a week from September 17
Coming soon:
• China Airlines: Auckland-Brisbane-Taipei, three a week from October 2 • United Airlines: Auckland-San Francisco, three a week from October 4, increasing to daily from October 31 • Air NZ: Auckland-Chicago, three a week from October 30 • American Airlines: Auckland-Dallas, seven a week from October 30 • AirAsia X: Auckland-Sydney-Kuala Lumpur, three a week from November 2 • Air Canada: Auckland-Vancouver, three to five a week from November 12 • Emirates: Auckland-Dubai (non-stop) daily from December 1
• Top international destinations: Australia, United States, Fiji • Top domestic destinations: Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown • Three busiest days for international arrivals: Sunday October 2; Sunday, October 16; Sunday, October 9 • Three busiest days for international departures: Friday, October 7; Saturday, October 15; Sunday, October 16
