There have been rumors swirling for a while now that Air New Zealand might be adding a nonstop flight from Auckland to Chicago. As of this morning, the new route has been confirmed and will fly three times weekly year-round starting November 30th, 2018.
The route will be operated by the high-tech Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, and flights will be bookable starting today. The route schedule is as follows:
Auckland to Chicago departing 8:10PM arriving 4:15PM on Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
Chicago to Auckland departing 8:10PM arriving 6:30AM (+ two days) on Wednesday, Friday & Sunday
Our Analysis
Air New Zealand currently flies to Los Angeles, Houston and San Francisco in the US. Being that the Airline is a Star Alliance partner with United Airlines, the Chicago flight will open tons of connection & booking opportunities as O'hare International Airport (ORD) is United's largest hub.
The flight time will be north of 15 hours (varies based off of the direction flown) and will fly a total of 8,184 miles each way. Aircraft like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 are making new routes like this possible for the airlines. Not only is the current price of fuel currently lower, these ultra efficient aircraft are drastically reducing airline operating costs.
Bottom Line
The announcement of this new Air New Zealand route is exciting and offers a direct connection between middle America and New Zealand. I hope to book space on this route soon! The inaugural flight is on November 30th, 2018.
H/T: Routes Online