Flyers shun US on terror date

By CATHY ARONSON

New Zealand travellers are steering clear of the United States on the anniversary of last year's terrorist attacks.

Although airlines are reporting strong demand for most international flights on September 11, Air New Zealand and Qantas are struggling to fill flights to and through the US, including Air New Zealand flights to London.

United Airlines, which this week said it might file for bankruptcy protection after losing an industry-record $2.1 billion last year, would not comment on how full its flights were, but said it had not cancelled international flights.

A lack of reservations has forced British Airways to cancel 24 of its 78 transatlantic flights on September 11. In Paris, Air France has cancelled one of its nine flights to New York and one of its two flights to Washington. Scandinavian Airlines System has cancelled two of its three flights to New York.

In the US, airlines have offered free fares to get Americans flying domestically.



Air NZ spokeswoman Rosie Paul said flights in and out of Los Angeles were less full on September 11 compared with the same time last year.

Other routes were not affected and bookings to Japan were higher.

Flying Without Fear course administrator Sue Amos said people were regaining their faith in flying.

After the terrorist attacks, frightened flyers had an excuse not to face their fears and the course stopped for six months, for the first time since it started 20 years ago.

Ms Amos said it was common to have drops after major air crashes but September 11 had an unprecedented effect on people's anxiety.

"We saw it all the time on the TV and in papers. And now we are being reminded yet again."

At the New Zealand Aviation Industry Association annual conference yesterday, analyst Peter Harbison said the troubled competing American airlines sent a warning that Qantas and Air New Zealand had to create an Australasian force to compete globally.

"In today's world anything's possible. This time last year I couldn't imagine Ansett falling over, but it happened so what have we learned from it?

"We're just back where we were 12 months ago, making all the same noises as if nothing is happening in the outside world."

Mr Harbison said a decision to let Qantas take a shareholding in Air NZ should be based on rational factors rather than nationalism.