American Airlines’ inaugural Auckland-Los Angeles service started today opening up more choice for New Zealanders travelling to the United States.
The new daily non-stop service, operated by American’s state-of-art Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, adds almost 1,600 seats a week on the Auckland-Los Angeles route and connects to over 220 daily flights to more than 70 destinations around the world – more than any other carrier in Los Angeles. For inbound visitors, the new route taps in to Qantas Group’s network of more than 70 destinations in Australia and New Zealand. Qantas and its subsidiary airline, Jetstar, operate up to 175 return flights a week between New Zealand and Australia.
Growth in New Zealand is the next step in the expanded partnership between American and Qantas*, which has provided customers with more options across the Pacific, including American’s Sydney-Los Angeles service and Qantas’ Sydney-San Francisco routes – both of which began operating in December last year.
Auckland-Los Angeles is the seventh new trans-Pacific route that American Airlines has added over the past three years, doubling its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fernand Fernandez, American’s VP, Global Marketing, said: “Auckland is a destination we have admired for a long time. This new route is critically important for American’s strategic expansion in the Asia Pacific region and a key part of our partnership with Qantas. We are glad that customers can now have more choices to fly to the United States and beyond.”
“American Airlines is investing USD $3 billion to improve customer experience. We are the first and only foreign airline in Auckland airport to adopt mobile kiosks for check-in and self bag tagging. It provides a convenient option for our customers to enjoy an efficient check-in experience without lining up at counters,” added Mr Fernandez.
Gareth Evans, CEO, Qantas International and Freight, said: “It’s been fantastic to see the way New Zealanders have responded to this new service, which brings competition to the Los Angeles route for the first time in many years.
“The bigger, stronger partnership we’re building with American Airlines is all about giving our customers more options and better experiences, and we’re expecting that to translate into more tourism and trade for the New Zealand economy.
“Qantas and Jetstar are growing within New Zealand and on trans-Tasman routes to Australia, so there are great opportunities for US visitors to travel widely and get to know our amazing region,” said Mr Evans.
Route schedule
Auckland to Los Angeles
Departs AKL at 1:20 p.m.
Arrives at LAX at 6:30 a.m, same day
Los Angeles to Auckland
Departs LAX at 10:45 p.m.
Arrives at AKL at 6:35 a.m., two days later
About the American Airlines Dreamliner
The Dreamliner features a state-of-the-art on-board travel experience including international Wi-Fi, as well as higher humidity and pressurization closer to sea level conditions, leaving customers more refreshed after their flight. Every seat has a touchscreen monitors equipped with up to 260 movies, 240 TV shows, 13 radio channels, 350 albums and 20 games, along with universal AC power outlets and a USB connection. The aircraft is configured with 28 fully lie-flat Business Class seats, each with direct-aisle access. There are an additional 55 Main Cabin Extra seats with extra legroom, and 143 Main Cabin seats.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines. Together with regional partners operating as American Eagle, American offers an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. This year American Airlines Group Inc. topped Fortune Magazine’s list of best business turnarounds and its stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.
About Qantas Airways
Qantas is the world’s second-oldest airline. Founded in the Queensland outback in 1920, it is Australia’s largest domestic and international airline and is recognized as one of the world’s leading long-distance carriers, having pioneered services from Australia to North America and Europe. The Qantas Group today offers services across a network spanning more than 200 destinations in 53 countries, including Australia and those served by codeshare partner airlines. Renowned for its excellence in safety, customer service, operational efficiency and technical innovation, the flying kangaroo is a symbol of contemporary Australia. Customer benefits include a global network, up to four travel classes, a leading loyalty program in Qantas Frequent Flyer, award winning inflight meals and entertainment, airport lounges and strong relationships with partner airlines. Qantas was awarded Best Airline Australia-Pacific in this year’s Skytrax World Airline Awards and was also ranked in the top ten best airlines globally.