Air New Zealand will be running non-stop flights between Auckland and New York, beginning later this year. The route will be the longest the airline has ever run.
Non-stop flights to New York
This week, New Zealand’s flag carrier announced that they would be operating flights to New York’s JFK airport from their hub in Auckland. The non-stop journey covers 8,828 miles and will take over 17 hours from take-off to touchdown. The airline will be bringing back its iconic NZ1 and NZ2 flight codes for the route previously used for their London Heathrow service. Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran commented:
“Traditionally, flight numbers 1 and 2 are used for an airline’s flagship route. And that’s what New York will be – our flagship route.”
Starting 17 September, Air New Zealand will fly the route three times per week, with NZ1 departing New York at 09:55 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, arriving two days later in Auckland at 07:30 pm.
On the return, NZ2 will leave at 19:40 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive in New York at 19:55 the same day – only 15 minutes later! This apparent time travel is because the flight will cross the pacific date line, causing it to gain or lose 24hrs depending on direction.
Fourth-longest passenger flight
The route, once running, will be the fourth-longest in the world, following Singapore airlines SQ23 flights to New York and Newark and Qantas flight 9 from Perth to London. Like the Qantas flight, Air New Zealand’s new route will be using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, known for its fuel efficiency and range.
Greg Foran says
“We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few years to make this ultra-long-haul service a reality. To ensure customers arrive in New York feeling refreshed, we’ve put a lot of thought into the onboard experience, and teams are working around the clock to make sure this is a great flying experience.”
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