Air New Zealand has announced substantial growth in its services to the United States, introducing an impressive 34,000 additional seats between Auckland Airport and major US cities including Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
This announcement came on June 12 as the Star Alliance carrier emphasized its role as the airline with the most direct flights from Auckland to the United States.
Currently, Air New Zealand operates flights to five US destinations, which include Honolulu, Houston, New York JFK, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
The airline has temporarily paused its Chicago route due to ongoing issues with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but hopes to relaunch this service soon.
From October 2025 to March 2026, the airline will increase its seat capacity by 8% across its US routes, with 20,500 of these seats categorized as premium.
This growth will coincide with the return of seven retrofitted aircraft to the fleet, featuring a revamped in-flight experience, including a new business class product.
The Auckland to Los Angeles route will see up to 12 flights per week, marking a 16% increase for the December to March period compared to the previous year, providing an additional 6,800 premium seats.
Meanwhile, Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport will benefit from an additional 4,500 seats from January to March.
San Francisco, being the second Californian destination for the airline, will experience a 3% increase in service, equating to 1,800 more seats when compared to the last year.
The new flight frequencies to San Francisco will feature daily services until mid-February, with an increase to six flights per week in March.
In addition to the expansion in US services, Air New Zealand is also focusing on enhancing the onboard passenger experience.
The airline recently completed a comprehensive retrofitting process for its first Dreamliner, ZK-NZH, which has introduced an eagerly awaited new onboard experience.
This retrofit includes redesigned cabins featuring the new Business Premier Luxe, which offers customers additional dining space, larger beds, and full closure doors for privacy.
Other notable updates span across the aircraft, enhancing the digital innovation onboard with 4K HD entertainment screens and Bluetooth audio capabilities.
Passengers can now use their smartphones as remote controls for seatback entertainment and can track their flights using a new picture-in-picture functionality to multitask.
In a broader context, Air New Zealand is also expanding its Asian market presence, adding 4,300 seats to key destinations such as Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bali.
This expansion is a response to strong demand both from New Zealanders traveling abroad and increasing interest from inbound visitors.
Jeremy O’Brien, Chief Commercial Officer of Air New Zealand, highlighted the noticeable demand for premium cabin experiences, stating the airline’s commitment to offering a comfortable and seamless travel experience is matched by an increase in flight frequencies and premium seat availability throughout its long-haul network.
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