Air New Zealand completes first 17-hour nonstop flight from New York to Auckland: Here’s a sneak peek

It is official: There is a new contender on the checklist of the world’s longest flights and TPG was aboard.

Air New Zealand accomplished its first round-trip flight between Auckland (AKL) and New York’s John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) this weekend, with the phase from JFK to Auckland departing Saturday night in New York and arriving in Auckland 16 hours and 36 minutes in a while Monday morning (or Sunday afternoon New York time). The primary flight from Auckland to New York arrived earlier on Saturday.

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With the inaugural flight out of the best way, Air New Zealand’s new thrice-weekly service offers the airline the prize for the world’s fourth longest flight (8,828 miles, in response to Nice Circle Mapper, blocked at 17 hours and 35 minutes), simply behind Singapore Airways’ nonstop flights from Singapore to JFK (9,537 miles, 18 hours and 40 minutes) and Newark (9,534 miles, 18 hours and half-hour) and the Perth-London operation flown by Qantas (9,010 miles, blocked at 17 hours and quarter-hour).

Though the Singapore flights function on A350-900ULR plane with solely enterprise class and premium financial system, Air New Zealand features a coach cabin on its Auckland-JFK service.

The flight marks the return of ultra-long-haul route enlargement, a development among the many world’s airways within the late-2010s that was shelved because the pandemic introduced international journey to a halt.

It additionally represents a serious new flagship route for majority state-owned Air New Zealand because the nation seeks to aggressively increase its tourism base. Notably, the airline selected to offer the first flight quantity to the phase bringing passengers to Auckland, relatively than the departing flight: JFK to Auckland bears the flight quantity NZ1, whereas the northbound flight from Auckland to New York is NZ2.

The U.S. market is vital to New Zealand, and a nonstop from New York is predicted to extend the nation’s enchantment with it now reopened to vacationers. Previous to the pandemic, the U.S. was the third-biggest tourism marketplace for New Zealand (behind Australia and China), comprising 10% of all guests and 13% of all customer spend, in response to Tourism New Zealand.

The brand new flight route is predicted to carry $65 million yearly into New Zealand’s financial system, airline CEO Greg Foran instructed the New Zealand Herald.

Whereas airline executives and New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, have been meant to fly on the preliminary phase to New York, Ardern canceled as a way to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Forward of the flight, a way of significance was palpable. Ads for the flight have been all around the metropolis for weeks, the New Zealand press has been protecting the flight extensively, and the hours earlier than the inaugural have been thrilling for airline and airport workers and passengers alike.

Whereas the southbound flight was an thrilling one for Air New Zealand, the airline saved it low-key for the JFK departure after celebrating earlier in Auckland for the departure.

Because the flight boarded and departed, it was unimaginable to keep away from considering of Mission Dawn, the trouble by Australian flag provider Qantas to launch nonstop flights from Sydney to London and New York, which might signify the first- and second-longest business flights, respectively. The airline at present operates these routes with a cease.

Qantas carried out a proof-of-concept Mission Dawn take a look at flight in 2019, flying a newly delivered Boeing 787-9 from JFK to Sydney, repeating the take a look at with a separate flight from London. The take a look at flights, blocked at about 19 hours, acquired important consideration regardless of criticism that with no concrete begin date, the flights have been merely publicity stunts. Qantas has since bought A350-1000ULR plane from Airbus for the flights, which it says it plans to launch in 2025. A number of present TPG staffers, this reporter included, have been aboard the 2019 take a look at flight.

With the launch of Auckland-New York, Air New Zealand has managed to beat Qantas to providing usually scheduled nonstop service between the East Coast and the Oceania area that features Australia and New Zealand, though the brand new service lags behind the Singapore Airways routes when it comes to the crown of “world’s longest.”

Qantas, nevertheless, is racing to compete for the U.S. East Coast. The airline introduced it would additionally launch a flight from Auckland to New York as a fifth-freedom route, with a connection from Sydney, beginning subsequent June.

For the following 9 months, nevertheless, Air New Zealand has the nonstop path to itself, providing it time to settle into the brand new market.

Air New Zealand operates the AKL-JFK flights with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner specifically configured with a extra premium-focused cabin than the remainder of its 787-9 fleet. The Dreamliners on the New York route characteristic 27 lie-flat business-class seats, 33 premium financial system recliners, 215 common financial system seats and 13 Economic system Skycouches. The Skycouches permit passengers to guide a whole row of three financial system seats, which, when coupled with raiseable footrests, creates a couch-like setup.

The remainder of Air New Zealand’s Dreamliners characteristic 18 business-class seats, 21 premium financial system seats, 263 financial system seats and 16 Skycouch rows. The airline additionally just lately introduced a brand new business-class product and the Skynest financial system sleeper pod, though these haven’t entered service but.

As is the case with any ultra-long-haul flight, the trek between Auckland and New York felt like a slog, even within the premium cabins. Nonetheless, with the route well-timed for sleep, it was attainable to get an honest evening’s relaxation whereas nonetheless getting some work accomplished or watching some films — for example, your entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was famously filmed in New Zealand.

Editor’s word: We have now a full inside have a look at the primary flight from New York to Auckland coming quickly — you’ll want to examine TPG Monday morning for extra.