Air New Zealand's new non-stop service between Christchurch and Los Angeles is not only proving good news for local tourism, but also for numerous exporters throughout the South Island.
The inaugural flight departs this evening from Christchurch International Airport at 6.10pm.
As well as making available up to 1200 seats a week direct into Christchurch from the USA, approximately 20 tonnes of freight per flight will be available for exporters to get their products to North America and Europe faster and more efficiently than ever before.
Most importantly, the non-stop flight means a significant reduction in delivery time and handling and transferring of goods, especially important for chilled and frozen cargo where any disruption to temperature can have a significant impact on quality.
Air New Zealand expects that up to 50% of cargo will be South Island seafood from the likes of Talleys, Southern Rainbow and NZ King Salmon going to Los Angeles based New Zealand Seafood and other US customers.
Invercargill based meat processor Alliance Group will be using the new service as a gateway for chilled Lamb, Venison and Beef to North America, and also as a stepping stone to Europe.
The direct flights will provide positive benefits in cost efficiency and cold chain maintenance by shortening the distance most of the company's product has to travel to reach an airport hub.
Nelson based NZ King Salmon will be sending 3-4 tonne of fresh chilled Salmon per week to the USA on the new service, saving the company time and reducing the risk of product damage. Christchurch based Southern Rainbow will enjoy similar benefits with its weekly six tonne delivery of shellfish and fish to the USA getting there cheaper and faster.
Air New Zealand Group General Manager Marketing, Network and Sales Norm Thompson says the new service is proving popular with a variety of groups.
"We have secured pleasing increases in cargo carriage, including several dry goods contracts, such as electronics. With Los Angeles the final destination for around 75% of this cargo, the new non-stop service is proving perfect for South Island exporters.
"From a tourism perspective, South Island tourism is now directly connected to
New Zealand's two largest inbound long-haul markets of the USA and the UK. The South Island can now look forward to a larger share of visitor nights and indeed the combined $1.5 billion these two tourist markets spend annually while they're in
New Zealand," said Mr Thompson.
"Since announcing the new route in May this year, Air New Zealand has invested close to half a million dollars in promoting the new Los Angeles to Christchurch service to Americans and Canadians through newspaper advertising, online web advertising, direct marketing and public relations."
As a result of promotional activity in July and August alone, two thousand North Americans booked seats on the new service.
Operating three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday over the peak summer season, the new service between Christchurch and Los Angeles will also connect directly with Air New Zealand's flights between Los Angeles and London, providing a one stop service between Christchurch and London.
NOTE: The content of all Air New Zealand media releases are accurate at the time of issue, as stated at the top of each release. For updates on any changes, please contact Air New Zealand.
Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award, Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 19,500 daily flights to 1,071 airports in 171 countries.
For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com.
