American Airlines Becomes the Only Carrier to Fly From the U.S. to the South Island of New Zealand
October 28 2019 - 6:00AM
A trip to the breathtaking landscape of the majestic Southern Alps
will become much shorter when American Airlines launches the only
nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to
Christchurch, New Zealand (CHC), next October. The airline is also
adding the only direct service between Dallas Fort Worth
International Airport (DFW) and Auckland, New Zealand (AKL), which
will increase connecting opportunities for more customers across
the United States. These routes are a direct result of the recently
approved joint business with Qantas, which delivers new customer
benefits like enhanced codeshare opportunities and increased
frequent flyer benefits for American and Qantas customers.
The gateway to the South IslandChristchurch is
the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and as the
only carrier to operate this route, American will introduce its
customers to one of the world’s most unique destinations.
“The South Island sums up everything that our customers are
looking for in New Zealand — adventure, culture and wildlife found
no where else,” said Vasu Raja, American’s Senior Vice President of
Network Strategy. “We want to make their lifelong dreams a reality
and bring New Zealand’s beauty even closer as the gateway to the
South Island where you can drive, hike, cruise and fly to a variety
of classic New Zealand experiences.”
American will fly to CHC three times per week from October 2020
through March 2021 on a Boeing 787-8. The 787-8 features 20
Flagship Business seats and 28 Premium Economy seats, providing
additional comfort for the 13-hour flight. The aircraft offers a
variety of entertainment options for customers, with access to
power at every seat, live television, and hundreds of movies,
music, games and TV shows.
LAX to CHC creates unique one-stop connections to the South
Island not previously available by any other carrier. Qantas and
Jetstar will connect passengers from CHC on to Wellington and
Melbourne — some of the most popular destinations in the
Pacific.
A new way to New ZealandAmerican currently
operates seasonal service from LAX to AKL and will add new service
from DFW next year. Flights will be operated with American’s
state-of-the-art 787-9, with 30 Flagship Business seats and 21
Premium Economy seats. New flights from DFW to AKL will enable new
one-stop connections to New Zealand from more than 70 cities across
the United States.
“Now, we’re able to get customers from places like Louisville,
Savannah or Monterrey, Mexico, all the way to New Zealand with just
one stop,” said Raja.
As American enhances its commitment to the region, seasonal LAX
to AKL service will resume earlier next year — Oct. 7 — adding
three weeks of service to the increasingly popular destination.
“The South Island is a must-see for any international visitor to
New Zealand,” said Stephen England-Hall, Tourism New Zealand’s
Chief Executive. “Thanks to the new non-stop flights from Los
Angeles to Christchurch and Dallas-Fort Worth to Auckland, it’s is
now easier than ever before to experience all that unique and
welcoming New Zealand has to offer.”
Benefits of the Qantas Joint BusinessAmerican
and Qantas recently received final approval to form a joint
business, which promises significant customer benefits not possible
through any other form of cooperation. The carriers have already
rolled out improved frequent flyer benefits, including higher
earning rates for points and status credits on each airline’s
network, and have expanded codeshare routes on each other’s
network. Qantas will also increase from six weekly flights between
Sydney, Australia (SYD) and DFW to daily service by mid-2020.
Additionally, Qantas announced new service from San Francisco
International Airport (SFO) and Chicago O’Hare International
Airport (ORD) to Brisbane, Australia (BNE), which will launch in
February and April respectively. Qantas will have its code on
American’s new flights to New Zealand, giving Qantas frequent
flyers more opportunities to earn and redeem Qantas points and
status credits on American. Next year, American and Qantas will
provide the most service to Australia and New Zealand from the
U.S.
LAX–AKL flights beginning in Oct. 2020 will be available for
purchase starting Nov. 9. New LAX–CHC and DFW–AKL flights will be
available for purchase starting Nov. 30.
Origin |
Destination |
Departure Time* |
Arrival Time* |
Season |
DFW |
AKL |
10:30 p.m. |
7:40/8:40 (+2 days) |
Oct. 25, 2020–March 25, 20213 x weekly through Nov. 29Daily
starting Dec. 1 |
AKL |
DFW |
11:15 a.m./12:15 p.m. |
7:10 a.m. |
Oct. 27, 2020–March 27, 20213 x weekly through Nov. 29Daily
starting Dec. 3 |
LAX |
CHC |
11:30 p.m. |
9:25 a.m./10:25 a.m. |
Oct. 25, 2020–March 24, 2021 3 x weekly |
CHC |
LAX |
1:10 p.m./2:10 p.m. |
6 a.m. |
Oct. 27, 2020–March 26, 20213x weekly |
*Flight times subject
to change and account for Daylight Savings. |
New flights are
subject to government approval. |
About American Airlines GroupAmerican Airlines
offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations
in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort
Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and
Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on
life’s journey, American’s 130,000 global team members serve more
than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has
invested more than $28 billion in its product and people and now
flies the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers, equipped with
industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, and more
inflight entertainment and access to power. American also has
enhanced food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in
its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was
recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger
Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air
Transport World. American is a founding member
of oneworld®, whose members serve 1,100
destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American
Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and
the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more
about what’s happening at American by
visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on
Twitter @AmericanAir and
at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.
Corporate
Communications817-967-1577mediarelations@aa.com
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