The new service deepens the alliance between Air New Zealand and United Airlines and follows Air New Zealand's successful launch of non-stop flights to United's hub in Chicago in November 2018.
Air New Zealand will fly the route three times weekly, year-round, under its flagship flight numbers NZ1 southbound and NZ2 northbound. The service will be operated by Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in its latest, premium-focused configuration.
From its East Coast gateway at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines operates more than 400 daily flights across the United States. The new service between Auckland and Newark will also provide customers with convenient onward connections to more than 90 destinations across the United States.
New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world with its iconic landmarks, galleries, museums, Broadway shows and food scene placing it top of many travellers' bucket lists.
"Our non-stop flight will cut travel time by around three hours, putting New Zealand in easy reach of New York and the US Eastern Seaboard," says Air New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Officer Jeff McDowall. "It's terrific we can make a seamless journey a reality for Kiwis wanting to experience New York and Americans keen to explore New Zealand and we'll work with United to grow the route and visitor numbers in both directions."
United's strong, strategic alliance and partnership with Air New Zealand provides our customers with more options to travel between the United States and New Zealand than any other airline in the world and we are proud to partner on this first ever non-stop service connecting New Zealand with our hub at Newark Liberty International Airport," says John Gebo, United's senior vice president of Alliances. "We are excited to offer our shared customers another option when planning travel to beautiful New Zealand while conveniently connecting visitors to more than 90 destinations across the United States with just one-stop connections at our New York hub."
Air New Zealand's new flights to New York go on sale in November 2019. Flight time is expected to be 15 hours 40 minutes northbound and 17 hours 40 minutes southbound.
The Auckland-New York schedule from 29 October 2020 is as follows:
| Flight No. | Operated by | Aircraft | Departs | Arrives | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NZ2 | Air New Zealand | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Auckland 19:55 | Newark, New York 17:35 | Mon, Thur, Sat |
| NZ1 | Air New Zealand | Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | Newark, New York 19:05 | Auckland 06:45 + 2 days | Mon, Thur, Sat |
Operated by: Air New Zealand
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Departs: Auckland 19:55
Arrives : Newark, New York 17:35
Frequency : Mon, Thur, Sat
Operated by: Air New Zealand
Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Departs: Newark, New York 19:05
Arrives : Auckland 06:45 + 2 days
Frequency : Mon, Thur, Sat
Flights will arrive into and depart from Terminal B at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The above timings are subject to approvals and will vary with daylight saving time.
