American Airlines made a big announcement today. Actually, it made two. After Air New Zealand dropped the only direct flight between Christchurch, New Zealand and the USA, American will pick up it up for 2020. Furthermore, the airline is adding its own service between Dallas and Auckland too. If you’ve been dreaming of visiting New Zealand, but aren’t all that keen on connecting after a 15 hour flight, you’ll soon be in luck.
Oh, and Air New Zealand quietly shocked the world last week with the unveiling of their non-stop Auckland-New York flight too, no flying guinea pigs needed. There are now six US cities where you can fly direct…
Non Stop South Island New Zealand
Christchurch is a gateway city for New Zealand’s rugged and absolutely stunning South Island. It’s a drivable road trip from Queenstown and offers incredible nature along the way, such as Mt. Cook, and Lake Pukaki. Beginning October, 2020 American Airlines will operate a seasonal flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and Christchurch (CHC) three times a week.
The flight will run from October 25th 2020 through March 24th 2021. The flight is timed for a late departure from Los Angeles, allowing for easy connections from most US cities.
6 US Cities To New Zealand
Air New Zealand is aggressively expanding with direct flights in the USA from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and soon, New York too. The airline skipped the years of name ideas and using influential media members as guinea pigs on 20 hour test flights, instead choosing to quietly launch direct flights between New York and New Zealand this time next year (Oct 2020).
There’s literally never been a better time to start planning a New Zealand trip, particularly with direct flights from so many cities on both coasts, the US presidential election, and easy access to the South Island via these new American Airlines flights.
Dallas To Auckland As Well
American will also feature a seasonal flight between home base in Dallas Fort Worth and Auckland, ramping up service to the North Island of New Zealand. The flight will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and will follow a similar seasonal schedule to the Christchurch flight.
The first flight will depart Dallas on October 25th, 2020 and will touch down from the last flight out of Auckland on March 27th, 2021. Auckland is a great getaway, but nearby Waiheke Island is even more fun, particularly if you like wine.
Don’t Forget Your New Zealand Visa…
New Zealand recently launched an ETA visa which requires you to pay a fee and submit details in advance of travel. The good news: they’re putting most of the fee back into keeping the natural beauty of the country in tact. At the same time, you’d hate to miss a flight by forgetting that you now need one of these to visit, so be sure to read up on everything here first.
Just got back from visiting the south island. It was amazing. Just pack some good hiking boots and maybe rent a camper.