On Monday, American Airlines announced that starting October 2020 they would become the only airline offering non-stop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Christchurch, New Zealand (CHC). American will also be adding non-stop service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Auckland, New Zealand.
Today, American Airlines said they would become the only carrier offering non-stop service from the U.S. to the South Island of New Zealand. Beginning October 2020, American will inaugurate service from Los Angeles to Christchurch on a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner three times weekly through March 2021. The Dreamliner will feature 20 Flagship Business and 28 Premium Economy seats for passengers desiring additional comfort. The airline is also adding non-stop service from Dallas-Fort Worth to Auckland, New Zealand next year, which will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring 30 Flagship Business and 21 Premium Economy seats. In today’s announcement, American’s SVP-Network Strategy, Vasu Raja stated,
“The South Island sums up everything that our customers are looking for in New Zealand – adventure, culture and wildlife found nowhere else. We want to make their lifelong dreams a reality and bring New Zealand’s beauty even closer as the gateway to the South Island where you can drive, hike, cruise and fly to a variety of classic New Zealand experiences.”
American Airlines has recently enhanced their codeshare and joint business arrangement with Qantas. Today’s new service announcement will provide more flexibility for both Qantas and American Airlines’ passengers including increased frequent flyer benefits. Passengers can book flights on the new Los Angeles (LAX) to Christchurch (CHC) route beginning November 30, 2019 for service starting October 25, 2020.
Source: American Airlines