BLOGS OR SEAT HOGS?

New Airline between Australia & New Zealand?

THE former chief of Nauru based Our Airline is a 33% shareholder in Pacific Wings, a start-up carrier which has applied for rights to fly to New Zealand as well as New Caledonia.

Pacific Wings will operate using a crew-leased Boeing 737-300 from Our Airline, which also currently flies on behalf of Norfolk Air. The new airline has asked for a ten year determination allowing unlimited capacity between Australia and NZ, applying “as a new entrant airline under start-up phase”.

Trans Tasman has long been the most utilised Australian international flight path so much so, that it's now regarded as a domestic route however competition has always been keen and it's likely current airfares will be challenged especially now that Pacific Blue (Virgin Blue's short haul INTL off-shoot) proposes additional flights from varied Australian city departures.

Whether or not Pacific Wings will target business travel (as opposed to only leisure seeking holiday makers), is yet to be determined. But mark our words... the lucrative Trans Tasman route will continue in battle, between old... and the ever new players.

Airlines currently operating AU/NZ: Qantas, Air New Zealand (and LCC Freedom Air), Thai, Lan Chile, Virgin Blue (Blue Pacific), Emirates Air, United Airlines and Jetstar (including internally operated NZ domestic routes)

Be sure when considering your Trans Tasman flights that flight delays and/or cancellations don't run into announcements like "Next flight, 3pm tomorrow. Sorry about the inconvenience"

As reports of Pacific Wings' application and/or success/denial come to hand, we'll inform our customers of what is going to be the Best Fare of The Day and the most economical method of flying Trans Tasman.

You can count on us to do that for you!