More than 110,000 Air New Zealand seats were snapped up yesterday compared to the usual 31,000 per day pre-COVID-19 – one for the record books.
The airline marked the Government’s removal of physical distancing by releasing 180,000 of its cheapest fares, with 160,000 of these available for under $50 which drove the record sales afternoon.
Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran says this clearly shows Kiwis are keen to get out and travel around Aotearoa.
“As soon as the Government announced the removal of physical of distancing travel demand was strong, with 70,000 seats sold in the first six hours.
“From Tāmaki Makaurau – Tāhuna, Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Ōtautahi were hot destinations, and it’s terrific to see customers snap up flights to Waihōpai, Whangārei and Kerikeri too. There was also strong demand for bookings for travel out of Ōtautahi and Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
“Kiwis have been incredibly supportive of our airline through what has been a difficult year and we look forward to welcoming more customers on board for their domestic trip soon.”
Although physical distancing has been removed on aircraft, it is still safe to fly. Masks remain a requirement for customers and crew will continue to wear masks and gloves.
While there will be more Kiwis travelling around the country, Air New Zealand lounges will continue to operate under Alert Level 2 restrictions meaning each lounge has a cap of 100 people at any given time.
Air New Zealand is currently flying approximately 200,000 seats per week, which is around 70-75 percent of pre-COVID-19 capacity.
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