Virgin to boost its transtasman runs

Virgin Australia will add three return flights between Auckland and Sydney a week, lifting them to 10.

Virgin Australia will boost the number of its transtasman services next year.

Chief commercial officer Judith Crompton says the airline will run 10 return services between Auckland and Sydney and nine between Auckland and Melbourne each week from June 30.

The five new Auckland runs add an extra 1760 seats a week on Boeing 737 aircraft.

With alliance partner Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia will add the following runs across the Tasman from June 30:

• Three additional return services a week between Auckland and Sydney.

• Two additional return services a week between Auckland and Melbourne.

• Up to four extra return services a week between Brisbane and Queenstown during the ski season.

• Up to three extra return services a week between Christchurch and Sydney added last month will be kept, with Air NZ to offer a choice of morning and evening departures on most weekdays.

Air NZ will use its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Honolulu from May 10, boosting capacity on the route by almost 20 per cent to replace Boeing 767s which will be used on its new service to Vietnam.

Air NZ is also retiming its four weekly Auckland-Honolulu return services from March 29, moving them to evenings.