Summary
- Air New Zealand dominates the US-New Zealand corridor with 58% of total flights, offering crucial seat capacity for travelers.
- United Airlines is a major player in this market, boosting its presence and offering direct flights to New Zealand’s South Island.
- American Airlines, Delta, and Qantas also operate flights between the US and New Zealand, adding to the diverse options for travelers.
The air travel corridor between the United States and New Zealand is a crucial one, connecting two countries separated by the vast Pacific Ocean. The carriers operating on this corridor provide essential services for tourism, business, and cultural exchange.
According to data provided by Cirium, six main carriers operate flights between the US and New Zealand: Air New Zealand (NZ), United Airlines (UA), Qantas (QF), Delta Air Lines (DL), American Airlines (AA), and Hawaiian Airlines (HA).
Air New Zealand (NZ)
Air New Zealand is the primary airline on the US-New Zealand corridor. According to the data, Air New Zealand will operate a total of 2,938 flights between the two countries in 2024, accounting for 58% of the total number of flights during this period. This dominant position indicates the significant role and extensive network Air New Zealand has established in connecting various cities in the US to New Zealand.
Due to its dominant position in the number of flights, Air New Zealand also leads in seat capacity. From 2024 to the present, it has provided a total of 940,386 seats on the corridor between the two countries. This figure corresponds to the highest available seat miles (ASM) of 6,344,413,216. The substantial seat offering is crucial for meeting the needs of both leisure and business travelers.
Star Alliance member Air New Zealand operates a robust network of international services from its base at Auckland International Airport, serving more trans-Tasman destinations than any other carrier. This is the same across the Pacific Ocean, with six destinations on its route map between Auckland and the United States. Vancouver is the country’s sole Canadian gateway to its codeshare partners.
Air New Zealand’s dedication to the US travel market sees the carrier operate to Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York JFK, all with a mix of its 787-9 and 777 aircraft.
United Airlines (UA)
United Airlines is another major player in the US-New Zealand air travel market. The data shows that United operates 692 flights between the two countries. While this is significantly fewer than Air New Zealand’s, it still represents a strong presence, particularly for a non-New Zealand-based airline.
From December 1st, 2023, passengers could connect directly from the United States to New Zealand’s South Island. United Airlines sends its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from San Francisco to Christchurch Airport thrice weekly. From last winter, the airline was nearly 70% larger in New Zealand than it was in 2019.
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
United is already the most prominent US airline to Auckland Airport in New Zealand. The carrier presently serves Auckland year-round with its existing service from San Francisco and, in October 2023, added four weekly flights from Los Angeles, with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. United’s Dreamliner configuration has 48 seats in its Polaris business class, 21 in premium plus, 39 in the economy plus section, and 149 in economy class.
![A United Airlines Boeing 777-300ER Flying in the sky.](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/united-airlines-777-300er-landing.jpg)
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Qantas (QF)
Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, also operates flights between the United States and New Zealand, although its main business is between the United States and Australia. Qantas is operating 460 flights between the United States and New Zealand in 2024, accounting for about 9% of the total 2024 traffic between the two countries.
Photo: Harry Reid International Airport
Delta Air Lines (DL)
According to the data, Delta Air Lines will operate 440 flights between the United States and New Zealand in 2024, accounting for 8.6% of the total number of flights between the two countries during this period. This figure places Delta Air Lines fourth in terms of the number of flights operated between the two countries.
On October 28 of last year, Delta Air Lines launched a flight from Los Angeles to Auckland. Although Auckland is not the capital of New Zealand, it is the largest city in the country. Delta’s new route was inaugurated on the same day as United Airlines.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
Delta’s Los Angeles-Auckland flight operates daily using an Airbus A350-900, a former LATAM aircraft with 339 seats. Economy class dominates, with 30 seats in Delta One, 63 seats in Comfort+, and 246 seats in the Main Cabin. These aircraft have 33 more seats than Delta’s non-LATAM and more advanced A350s.
![Delta Air Lines Airbus A350](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/delta-a350-landing.jpg)
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American Airlines (AA)
American Airlines is another major US carrier providing services to New Zealand. According to the data, American Airlines has 432 flights, slightly fewer than Delta Air Lines, accounting for 8.5% of the total number of flights between the two countries in 2024.
On October 25, 2020, American Airlines launched a thrice-weekly scheduled service between its largest hub, Dallas, and Auckland. Starting December 1, just over a month after the launch, the frequency of this route was upgraded to a daily service. American Airlines uses Boeing 787-9 aircraft for this route.
Photo: JetKat | Shutterstock
In the same year, American Airlines also introduced a new flight from Los Angeles to Christchurch, operating three times a week with the smaller Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
![American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Pace](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/American-Airlines-Boeing-787-9-Pace.jpeg)
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Hawaiian Airlines (HA)
Hawaiian Airlines also participates in the air passenger service between the United States and New Zealand. According to the data, Hawaiian Airlines will operate 120 flights between the two countries in 2024, accounting for 2.4% of the total flights during this period.
Hawaiian Airlines announced last year that it would suspend the Auckland to Honolulu route from April to November this year, redeploying the aircraft to “more profitable routes.” Following this, Air New Zealand will become the sole operator on the Auckland to Honolulu route. The Honolulu-based airline noted that demand for this route is “healthy”; however, due to the weakening New Zealand dollar, the airline can earn more profit by operating on other routes.
Photo: Airbus
Until April, Hawaiian Airlines operated three weekly flights to Auckland, using Airbus A330-300 aircraft, with a flight time of nearly nine hours. For New Zealanders, Hawaiian Airlines is a popular choice as passengers can use the airline’s strong route network within the US mainland and enjoy the sunshine of Waikiki. Hawaiian Airlines plans to resume the route in November 2024.
![N384HA Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330-243 (2) (2)](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/n384ha-hawaiian-airlines-airbus-a330-243-2-2.jpg)
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