The battle for trans-Pacific air supremacy will be taken to new heights as Qantas and strategic partner American Airlines start flying between Auckland and mainland United States next year.
The bosses of the Australian and American carriers unveiled the Auckland to Los Angeles route in Wellington on Wednesday.
An American Airlines’ Boeing Dreamliner will operate the daily service from June.
Air NZ currently holds a monopoly of direct flights from New Zealand to mainland United States, flying to Los Angeles, San Francisco and begins flights to Houston next month.
Qantas and American Airlines formed a five-year alliance in 2011, and has been given interim approval by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to expand the arrangement.
Qantas will start flying direct from Sydney-San Francisco next month while American will fly daily from Sydney-Los Angeles in the same month.
Mr Joyce said in June the new Pacific routes were part of a plan by the airlines to grow the Pacific market by around nine per cent.
