Air New Zealand said on 1 February that it would expand their 6 times a week schedule to daily service from Auckland to San Francisco and back. This news comes on the heels of Air Canada's announcement that it will begin service from LAX to Sydney next year.
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First introduced with a frequency of three non-stop services a week between Auckland and San Francisco in June 2004, the popularity of the route resulted in services being doubled to six times weekly less than six months later.
Group General Manager Marketing Network & Sales Norm Thompson said the move to daily services was a clear reflection of the popularity of not only San Francisco as a destination but also of the desire of New Zealanders to have a second gateway into the United States and beyond.
"A daily service to Auckland from San Francisco will also support the inbound tourism market by offering visitors from Europe and North America more choice.
Our code share partnerships with United Airlines, Lufthansa and Air Canada make travel beyond San Francisco an easy and popular option," said Mr Thompson.
The timing of Air New Zealand's Auckland - San Francisco services (local times) are as follows:
| Depart Auckland | 7.15 pm | Arrive San Francisco | 11.30 am (same day) | ||||
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| Depart San Francisco | 9.30 pm | Arrive Auckland | 5.30 am (plus 2 days) | ||||
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Services will be operated using a mix of the new B777-200 aircraft and refitted B747-400 aircraft.
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This service from San Francisco will use ANZ's new 777-200s and their retrofitted 747's which feature Pacific Premium Class. This is a new concept to Air New Zealand, which will be the only airline offering the product into New Zealand. Premium Economy seats are located in a dedicated cabin which shares lavatories with the Business Class cabin. The class has the same mood lighting, wine selection and inseat power for electronic devices such as laptops' as the Business Class cabin. The seats are wider, with more legroom than Pacific Economy Class. A much more desired selection compared to any other airline that flies into Australia or New Zealand from the western US.
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