Air New Zealand ramps up school holiday schedule with 30,000 extra seats across Aotearoa

4 July 2024
  • 760,000 customers travelling domestically and internationally over the July school holidays
  • Friday 12 July will be the busiest day for travel, with more than 51,000 customers expected to be travelling

Air New Zealand is preparing to welcome nearly half a million customers on its domestic network over the July school holidays as travellers look to make the most of a mid-winter getaway.

Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer, Alex Marren says the airline has added thousands more seats across its operation this July to help connect Kiwis with each other.

"We've seen impressive demand for travel across Aotearoa over the school holiday period. To help get customers where they need to be, we've added 30,000 seats across 240 domestic flights. That means we have nearly half a million customers expected to travel with us from Friday 5 July until Sunday 21July."

"The next two weeks aren't just going to be a busy time in the air, but in our airports as well, and our teams are gearing up to ensure our customers' journeys are as smooth as possible.

"If you're travelling with little ones, or if you're carrying some extra winter gear, allow yourself plenty of time to check in, drop your bags and make your way to the gate.

"The weather at this time of year can also cause disruption, so we recommend customers download the Air New Zealand app for the latest updates on their flight. Of course, it's always a good idea to purchase travel insurance to ensure you're protected in the event of a weather-related disruption."

Topping the list of school holiday hotspots is Queenstown, with 31,000 customers heading to the beloved winter destination.

Dunedin is the place to be for the opening weekend of the holidays, as the All Blacks take on England in the southern city on Saturday 6 July. Air New Zealand has put on nine additional return flights, or 2,250 extra seats over the weekend to get fans to the game.

A further 274,000 travellers will be jetting off overseas over the period, with the Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane emerging as the most popular international school holiday destinations, with Singapore and Fiji also proving to be popular destinations.

Top tips when flying this school holidays

  • Double check the personal details on your booking are correct to avoid any airport hold-ups
  • Download the Air NZ mobile app and subscribe to its Travel Alert service to keep up to date on the go
  • Allow plenty of time to get to the airport and through security as it can take a little longer than usual – especially with extra winter gear
  • As always, book travel insurance to ensure you're protected in the event of a weather-related disruption (which can be more frequent in the winter months!)

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 104 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. Last year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.

Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework  helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.

 

About Star Alliance

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.