Qantas doubles down on Auckland-New York route as New Zealand push deepens

Qantas is stepping up the frequency of its Auckland-New York service this summer as it strengthens its presence in this country.

From October 10 the airline will fly six times a week non-stop between the two cities, up from four times a week now.

Its Dreamliner service originates in Sydney. href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/taking-it-to-the-limit-qantas-versus-air-new-zealand-to-new-york/UKD477UL7JHSRFOIIFJN3QRO4Q/?ref=readmore" target="_blank"> Qantas competes directly with Air New Zealand on the Auckland-New York route but the Kiwi carrier, enduring a shortage of ultra-long haul planes, is flying just three times a week.

Alexandra O’Connor, Qantas regional manager - New Zealand, said her airline was increasing the number of flights to meet strong demand. Flights were aimed primarily at the Australian market but up to 20% of seats were taken by Kiwis, many of whom connected on to other destinations through Qantas alliance partner airlines including British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines.

Across the Atlantic London, Paris and Madrid were the top destinations for passengers connecting from the Auckland-New York flight, which operates at JFK Airport.

“It performs really well for us. Because it starts in Sydney and goes through Auckland we pick up two points of sale. It’s a really important flagship route for Qantas, a premium route that we want to support,” she said.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights started last June, flying three times a week initially.

“We get some incredible customer feedback, and so now we’re getting repeat business so that Kiwi percentage of the plane is growing,” she said.

The airline has at times dropped return fares to below $1500 and with more capacity prices generally come down.

O’Connor said Qantas was “conscious of making sure that we represent good value, but equally where there’s high demand periods.”

Outside of Australia, New Zealand is Qantas’ largest region by passenger numbers, with the largest employee base with 1200 staff here and the largest frequent flyer community with more than one million members.

The airline - recovering from a blow to its corporate reputation after a series of scandals - operates up to 170 transtasman flights per week with 80% of its crew from New Zealand. Kiwis also staff its Auckland-New York flights.

O’Connor said Qantas was reinvesting and reinvigorating its presence in this country and is launching a brand campaign today, featuring a commercial that tells the true story of a Kiwi-Aussie couple who met while travelling overseas.

Qantas will pass Air New Zealand with seat capacity out of Christchurch with new flights from later this year as it builds connections to its growing long-haul network. Kiwi customers can connect to over 95 destinations on the Qantas network and 1200 global destinations with its partners.

The Australian airline already outstrips Air New Zealand for international seats out of Wellington and its head of international says more flights could be on the way.

Non-stop flights between New Zealand and Perth could be back from next year. Qantas budget subsidiary Jetstar was adding seats to its domestic network here. Last month it opened up more reward flights.

O’Connor said more announcements would come later this year.

“There’s definitely some things that we’re looking at across both brands.”

Business Class seats on Qantas Dreamliner aircraft. Photo / Grant Bradley

Qantas not only has greater frequency between Auckland and New York than Air New Zealand but its Dreamliner planes are fitted out specifically for the 14,200km route.

Qantas planes have 236 seats while the Dreamliner aircraft Air NZ uses on its longest flights have 275. While there’s not much difference in seat pitch and passenger space in economy, in business class the airlines offer a much different product.

Air NZ’s outdated herringbone layout offers little privacy while Qantas’ business class is more conventional, roomier and offers more privacy.

Its Dreamliners are premium-rich, with 42 seats in business class - where airlines enjoy stronger yields - compared to 27 in business class for Air NZ.

Eight Dreamliners that Air New Zealand has on order will have more premium seating (42 business class seats also) for its longest routes. The airline is also spending more than $400m on retrofitting its existing fleet of 14 Dreamliners. Work on the first one starts in Singapore in October although the refurbished planes will be deployed on other routes.

Helloworld general manager Chris Hunter said the additional Qantas frequency on the key route enables more Kiwis to access New York and the broader eastern region of the United States.

At the same time, this service will support the anticipated growth in inbound tourism from North America, aligning with New Zealand’s summer tourism season, he said.

“We welcome the additional seats and premium cabin offering from Qantas and looking forward to supporting more Kiwis’ aspirations to enjoy the sights and sounds of New York and the wider state.”

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.