Buckle up! Number of Australia-NZ flights set to rise
Flights from Australia to New Zealand are set to increase after it was announced vaccinated Aussies would be allowed to travel to their Kiwi neighbour from mid-April.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the border would reopen from 11.59pm on April 12, nearly a year after the short-lived trans-Tasman bubble between the two countries first opened.
In response, Qantas and Jetstar plan to run up to 30 return flights a week from mid-April.
Though nowhere near the more than 170 return services offered a week before the global pandemic, it’s a significant increase after the closure of the travel bubble and a sign of the industry’s recovery.
In a statement, Qantas said it would be operating daily flights between Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney to Auckland, and between Sydney and Christchurch.
Meanwhile, Jetstar will be offering three weekly flights from the Gold Coast to Auckland.
But the travel opportunities will continue to grow during May and June, when the airlines will resume flights to Queenstown and Wellington.
It is also said that Qantas will continue to offer a flexible booking policy for trans-Tasman flights which allows for unlimited flight date changes on flights booked before June 30 for travel until December 31, 2022.
With Aussies accounting for 40 percent of the tourists entering New Zealand each year, it’s sure to be a decision welcomed by the local tourism industry and those who have been itching to travel for the last two years.
Image: @jetstarnz (Instagram)