Air New Zealand’s CEO Greg Foran says travellers can expect to benefit from competition on New York services following the launch of Qantas’ Sydney – New York via Auckland service.
“It’s our turf, so you can expect us to protect it,” Foran said in an interview with Travel Weekly Australia.
Air NZ began its non-stop flights from Auckland last year, and Foran says Qantas’ move onto the route was expected.
“I wasn’t all that surprised that they went ahead and did it, to be honest. They have flown out of New Zealand before, and they’ve had a base here,” he said.
Qantas has previously operated flights to Los Angeles from Auckland.
That service ended in 2012.
Foran says Air NZ already has one thing on its side in the battle for the Big Apple.
“Geography. You know, it’s two and a half, three hours closer to America.
“So it gives you the ability to hit the East Coast,” he said.
He said the airline won’t be relying on a headstart of a few thousand kilometres to win over travellers to and from North America.
“It’ll be up to us to compete well, and offer the good New Zealand service that we do.”
@travelweeklyaus Air New Zealand CEO, Greg Foran on Qantas’ recent return to NYC. #News #TravelNews #TravelWeekly #AusTravel
He said there’s no distance in kilometres that could match the advantage the airline has when it comes to its staff and their customer service.
“It is an organisation that has within its DNA, a sense of curiosity, which leads to innovation,” he said.
“I’ve travelled around, and I am not someone who has spent 30 years or 40 years of my life working in an airline. It fundamentally comes down to the interaction of our people. It’s more than just a job and it comes through.
“They actually enjoy holding a baby they enjoy getting someone an extra cup of coffee. They are interested in whether you’re going on holiday or concerned if you feel that you’re not going to make a connection.
“That plays itself out in terms of how people are recruited, trained, and then deliver that experience.”
Air NZ ended its decades-long services to London Heathrow in favour of its services to New York, the route taking over the prestigious flight numbers NZ1 and NZ2.
For Qantas, it’s much the same with Auckland replacing Los Angeles as its stopover on its New York services, with flight numbers QF3 and QF4.
One thing both airline CEOs agree on is the aircraft that is best suited to flying the ultra-long-haul route, the Boeing Dreamliner.
A fact that was reiterated yesterday at the launch of Qantas’ first New York flight by Alan Joyce.
“The launch of the route has been made possible by the delivery of new 787 aircraft in recent weeks and brings us closer to returning our international capacity to what it was before COVID,” he said.
Now the airlines have their Dreamliners, travellers can hope for some dream prices and holidays as a result.
