Qantas offering Auckland to NY flights

Qantas will fly passengers from Auckland to New York. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Qantas is to start offering a daily seamless service from Auckland to New York.

The airline has rescheduled its Auckland-Los Angeles services to connect with Qantas flights to New York, meaning passengers will now be able to fly straight through with minimal transit time in LA.

A Qantas spokeswoman said there had been strong demand for the service and it had been looking for a scheduling opportunity. The new schedule begins on June 10.

Flight Centre spokeswoman Marie Pilkington said it would mean passengers not having to change planes to a codeshare or other domestic service. They would also get Qantas benefits such as use of lounges and air points the whole way through.

She said it opened up the east coast of the US and the Caribbean to Kiwi travellers.

Air New Zealand is not planning to match the service. Its passengers flying to New York must switch in Los Angeles to a codeshare partner such as United or US Airways.

Ed Sims, group general manager international airlines, said its Los Angeles services were timed for good reasons, such as allowing business people to sleep through the night and arrive in LA at a decent time. They were also scheduled to suit passengers from cities such as Adelaide and Melbourne, who were increasingly choosing to transfer in Auckland rather than Sydney on the way to the US.