Air New Zealand launches back to school seat sale for summer fares

Air New Zealand has released hundreds of thousands of cut-price fares. Photo / Winston Aldworth

It's back to school for most of the country, but Air New Zealand is trying to tempt Kiwi holidaymakers back to the skies, with the release of thousands of cut price fares.

The airline has released 140,000 seats between November to February for under $60 one way.

The carrier's chief sales officer Leanne Geraghty said these fares were a chance for passengers "looking to check out a place they're yet to explore in New Zealand or planning a catch up with friends and family."

It will be welcome news for savvy fliers planning summer travel, but Air New Zealand is keen to lock in its holiday plans - ahead of a peak season which is hard to predict.

Thanks to the easing of physical distancing requirements on planes and the stepping down of alert levels, the airline was able to bring its domestic network back to almost full capacity for the spring school holiday.

The Airline says it was able to put 50,000 seats back up for sale, which otherwise would have been left empty under distancing requirements. Even with the return of Jetstar to the New Zealand Domestic network, Air New Zealand reported some routes, such as Auckland to Queenstown, were at 90 per cent pre-pandemic capacity.

"The school holidays brought a big boost to domestic tourism and we hope these fares will encourage New Zealanders to keep travelling and take advantage of some of the great deals tourism operators are providing at the moment," said Geraghty.

The appetite for domestic travel was able to offset the lack of inbound tourists, which would normally account for 20 per cent of seats. However, during the key summer season the lack of international tourists may be harder to replace as border restrictions remain in place.

The 140,000 summer seats might go some way to offset the shortfall, while Kiwi travellers have the country to themselves. For Kiwi holiday makers and tour operators, it will be a summer unlike any other.

Fares are available via airnewzealand.co.nz, for 48 hours.