Air New Zealand pausing non-stop flights to Chicago
Tuesday, 12 March 2024
Auckland–Chicago service will be paused from March 31 to October 25, 2024
Ongoing challenges with availability of Trent 1000 engines
13,400 customers are affected by the update.
Air New Zealand will pause its Auckland–Chicago non-stop service from March 31 to October 25, 2024.
The route is being put on hold due to ongoing challenges with the availability of serviceable Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines which is impacting airlines around the world.
These are the engines used on Air New Zealand’s Boeing 787 aircraft.
About 13,400 customers will have adjustments to their travel plans because of this update.
One of those is Clive Biddulph who was set to fly to Chicago with his wife next month for a quilt show.
“The reason I booked that flight is that it was direct and I could book premium economy.”
He told Stuff Travel his wife had an injury and would be expecting Air New Zealand to cover any costs he could now incur from moving bookings for rental car and accommodation.
“The premium economy also gave us four checked bags. My wife is going to do some serious shopping buying quilts.”
A spokesperson for the airline said if customers book premium economy with Air New Zealand, their baggage allowance would carry onto their connecting flight.
It said customers will be able to claim incidental costs as a result of the change and will need to provide an overview of expenses and receipts.
Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said halting the route was a difficult decision to make, but one that results in the least number of customers impacted.
“We know this will be disappointing for customers travelling to and from Chicago during this period, especially to those travelling over the upcoming April holiday break. It’s not a decision we’ve made lightly and we’re sorry to make this change so close to the time some customers plan to fly,” said Geraghty.
Have you been affected? Email us at travel@stuff.co.nz
“Unfortunately, Air New Zealand continues to be impacted by challenges with availability of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, meaning we will now have up to three aircraft unavailable for an extended period, so we’ve had to review our schedule.
“We made the tough decision to temporarily pause the Chicago route while maintaining our schedule of up to 35 flights each week to six ports across the US and Canada, so there are still plenty of options to get to Chicago, the US, and beyond.”
Customers with bookings on Air New Zealand’s Chicago services will be rebooked with a connection through another US airport to get them to their destination as quickly as possible. Customers who booked directly with Air New Zealand will receive their new itinerary within 72 hours and do not need to contact Air New Zealand. Those who booked via a travel agent should contact their agent to confirm changes to their itinerary.
“We understand that rerouting may not work for every customer, so they also have the option to put their booking into credit or request a refund for their flight,” said Geraghty.
“Getting our customers to their destination safely is our number one priority and to do that, we need to ensure our aircraft and engines are maintained to the highest standard. These challenges do not present a safety risk to customers flying on our 787 fleet.
“We’d like to thank customers in advance for their patience and understanding as our teams work as fast as they can to make these changes.”
Last year, the national carrier announced it would have up to four jets out of action at any one time as it dealt with engine maintenance issues, impacting around 330,000 passengers.
It said it was pausing two international routes - Seoul and Tasmania due to a problem with engines from US aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney.
RTX Corp – the parent company of the engine maker – had previously revealed it would need to remove up to 700 engines from planes worldwide for quality inspections over the next three years, after it discovered a “rare condition” in powdered metal which could lead to microscopic cracks.
Geraghty told Stuff Travel no other routes were at risk.
“These routes are an important part of the overall Air New Zealand network and have been paused while we work through the availability of serviceable aircraft engines,” she said.
“The earlier than expected engine maintenance requirements, coupled with the significant global supply chain challenges impacting aviation globally, means it is likely we will have some degree of engine availability challenges for around 18 months.
“With the addition of leased aircraft entering our fleet, we are working to reduce the impact on customers and our schedule while we work through these challenges.”
How else can you get to Chicago?
With the cancellation of the Air NZ service there are no other direct routes.
With just one stop, Air NZ would take you to New York’s JFK Airport, before changing to Newark Airport to fly to Chicago with United Airlines.
Other one-stop options include flying via San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Hong Kong, Doha or Dubai.
However, many of these come with a lengthy overnight stopover.
A two-stop option is with Qantas from Auckland to Sydney, then on to Dallas Fort Worth before a final flight on to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport with American Airlines.