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Most of Air New Zealand’s fleet remains stationed at airports across the country. But under alert level 2, they will return to the skies, although with very reduced domestic hours.
From Auckland you can fly roundtrip between 11 hubs, from Kerikeri in the north to Queenstown in the south.
From Wellington, you can fly roundtrip between eight hubs, from Tauranga to Blenheim.
And from Christchurch you can fly back and forth between just six hubs, from Palmerston North to Invercargill.
“What to expect? Very, very limited daily frequency,” says aviation commentator Irene King.
For now, cities like Taupō, Hokitika, and Timaru have been completely off the map until demand increases.
Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas says this decision has left him “bitterly disappointed.”
That’s because to get in and out of Taupō, the closest flight to Auckland is now a two-hour drive to and from Tauranga or Napier.
This adds precious travel time for those who wish to visit the region.
“New Zealand’s largest ski field to start with, you know we are talking about the central plateau here, a large geographic area that will not have that connectivity,” says Trewavas.
Things will also look very different on board planes to manage physical distance.
Air New Zealand has yet to confirm exactly how it will separate passengers, but with its A320 aircraft operating at just 65 percent of normal capacity, the middle seats are likely to remain empty.
However, the airline is considering allowing passengers to sit next to each other if they are from the same “bubble”.
It’s a different story on smaller planes like ATRs that will operate at only 50 percent of normal capacity.
But the president of the New Zealand Airline Pilots Association, Captain Andrew Ridling, wants the airline to explore more security options.
“International federations around the world are calling for masks to be worn on board planes, we are talking about the idea of fogging up or fogging up between trips, which is the germ fog,” he says.
One thing that passengers will have to face is increased costs.
The airline has already indicated that its cheap air fares will not be offered at level 2.
“God, they look ugly, I must say,” warns King. “I’m thinking of $ 250- $ 300 maybe.”
COVID-19 pricing is impacting our national airline, and we expect it to be passed on to passengers.
