Air New Zealand slashes capacity on three domestic routes
Wednesday, 2 October 2024
Air New Zealand is reducing capacity on three domestic routes.
Two routes will see a smaller aircraft used, an ATR, reducing capacity by 103 seats a flight.
The airline said a ‘softening of demand’ and ongoing engine issues are to blame.
Capacity on some Air New Zealand routes is about to take a plunge.
The airline is changing the aircraft from a 171-seat Airbus A320 to a 68-seat ATR-72 on two routes, a reduction of more than 100 seats.
It announced on Monday it will stop the direct Invercargill to Wellington flights from January 19, 2025 due to global engine maintenance issues putting aircraft out of service, coupled with a softening of demand domestically.
Today, the airline told Stuff Travel four other routes will see changes too.
Queenstown - Christchurch: The first flight of the morning from Queenstown to Christchurch (either 7am or 7.20am) will move to an ATR, rather than a jet, reducing capacity by more than 100 seats. It will also depart later at 8.15am or 8.55am with 15 minutes added to the flight time.
The last service from Christchurch to Queenstown will be mid-afternoon. Currently a 7.35pm flight operates five days a week.
General manager domestic Scott Carr said this was due to lower demand and daylight operating limits for turboprops.
Flights from Auckland to Queenstown however will increase by two jet services a week.
Have you been affected? Email us at travel@stuff.co.nz
Dunedin – Wellington: This route will now also operate on an ATR instead of a jet in the morning and evening. This change will add 40 minutes to the 1 hour 20 flight time.
Dunedin passengers travelling to Wellington for the day will be able to arrive in Wellington at 8.30am. Currently passengers arrive at 7.40am.
The return non-stop flight will be at 4.25pm as well as a flight that connects via Christchurch, departing Wellington just after 6pm.
Currently the last direct flight leaving Wellington departs at 7.45pm.
Christchurch – New Plymouth: This route will have three fewer flights a week.
The late evening flight from Christchurch to New Plymouth (currently 6.45pm), and the early flight from New Plymouth to Christchurch (currently 6.30am daily) will be replaced with more “leisure flights” in the middle of the day as these are more popular with passengers, Air New Zealand said.
These flights will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Blenheim – Wellington: Overall capacity from Blenheim to Wellington will remain the same, but the last flight of the day, currently 6.15pm, will be at 7.15pm.
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary told Stuff Travel it has been a bad week for the lower South.
“First the Government scuppers the new hospital and now the national airline makes it harder to do business by making travel to and from the region harder. For many travellers, the smaller planes and longer bunny hop to the North Island will mean having to overnight which adds costs and delays.
“I think ultimately we’re probably going to see price increases as well because the plane will be smaller.
“I am concerned for small business operators who will pay the price with the delays and the inconvenience. Ultimately that all ends up as business costs.”
Leary said the Otago-Southland region feels like its being forgotten, with no answers about the rail-enabled ferries, the scuppered hospital and now this.
“All of that is making the South Island feel like it is just an appendage to the rest of New Zealand.
'Given its status as a national carrier, and the fact that taxpayers down here helped bail them out during Covid, Air New Zealand should be taking more things into account than pure profit. Ministers should step in with a Please Explain. Otherwise it shows how little this National Government cares about us down here.'
Carr said the airline regularly reviews its schedule and sometimes makes adjustments to ensure its services are fit for purpose and meet demand appropriately.
“Over recent months, we’ve seen domestic demand soften across most customer segments in response to a tough economic backdrop. This is most evident on some of our regional network.”
The airline said it is re-accommodating those who were already booked to travel.
“We know this change may cause inconvenience for some, but we want to assure our customers that we remain committed to connecting New Zealanders to each other and the world and we apologise for any inconveniences these changes may cause,” Carr said.
Stuff Travel understands the changes will come into effect on February 18th, 2025.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Blenheim to Wellington change would impact the first flight of the day, due to incorrect information from Air New Zealand. It has now been corrected to say it is the last flight of the day.