Air New Zealand Air Points - Why not new routes to other Euro cities?

As someone who travels regularly to Europe from Australia, the airport I want to avoid is Heathrow unless I need to go to the UK. So I fly TG, LH, SQ, or SK to a Euro hub such as Frankfurt or Copenhagen, and earn lots of Air NZ points on non-Air NZ carriers. Fine with me as these hubs are so much better, but a disadvantage to Air NZ because I'm not in one of their planes.
Why the focus on Heathrow as the only entry point to Europe?
Why doesn't Air NZ start a Euro service to somewhere better than Heathrow? Don't New Zealander's go to other Euro destinations? I'm sure lots of Europeans would love to go to NZ, it's such a great place for a holiday. (e.g. I have some Dutch friends who regularly travel to the South Island for holidays)
I would jump at the opportunity to fly Air NZ to Europe, so long as it's not Heathrow!
Apologies if the topic has been raised before, but I'm scheduling my next trip to Germany, looking again at the SQ/TG plus LH flights (not a bad business price)

Rob Fyfe has said that the next European destination could go via Shanghai when the Shanghai flight goes daily in 9 months' time.

Rob Fyfe has said that the next European destination could go via Shanghai when the Shanghai flight goes daily in 9 months' time.
I am surprised they have not trotted out the usual "codeshare" line. Do the airline executives think that the frequent business flyers not know that codeshares are not acceptable? Have you tried to book a non-NZ metal codeshare flight on the internet?

I am surprised they have not trotted out the usual "codeshare" line. Do the airline executives think that the frequent business flyers not know that codeshares are not acceptable? Have you tried to book a non-NZ metal codeshare flight on the internet?

The sector between Shanghai and Europe would be using NZ's own metal. not codeshare.

The premium market is largely to LHR, hence the focus on LHR!

After LHR, the European airport whose catchment area includes the next largest number of passengers to NZ is probably Manchester ahead of Frankfurt, but even northern England only has a 787-sized premium market.

There is no number three after LHR, MAN and FRA, the rest of the premium class travel to mainland Europe is totally splintered. If there was going to be a fourth European destination after LHR, MAN and FRA, it would probably be Birmingham or Glasgow, as is the case with Emirates and PIA.

But it makes more sense to fly just to LHR than to fly to LHR and MAN and BHX and GLA!

Places which would NOT justify direct flights include Paris, or Rome, or Amsterdam, or Madrid. There is hardly any direct travel to those markets from Australia or NZ because most holiday-makers (who are low-yield passengers anyway) visit multiple destinations, and there aren't enough people travelling in the other direction to justify direct flights.

I hope that NZ develops an Asian hub for through flights from Australia and New Zealand to Europe: I don't care whether its Shanghai or Hong Kong, so long as it's not both.

I suspect that the original poster was hoping we could identify multiple exotic European destinations. In fact, if one of the North Asian cities is built up as a hub for multiple Air NZ flights from multiple Australian and New Zealand cities to connect to multiple European cities, the likely five European destinations under this Emirates-style model would be:

1) London Heathrow
2) Manchester
3) Frankfurt
4) Birmingham
5) Glasgow

It's not that exotic really, is it? And does it add extra value which just LHR flights can't?

And I hate to break bad news, but if you wanted to add the next 5 European international airports in terms of visitors to and from New Zealand, they would probably be:

6) Liverpool
7) Newcastle
8) Edinburgh
9) Bristol
10) Munich

In other words, the ten main viable destinations in Europe for Air NZ comprise of 8 in the UK and 2 in Germany.

Rob Fyfe has said that the next European destination...Any hints as to the actual next European destination?

Any hints as to the actual next European destination?

The exact words on the Herald article was "restoring a European destination via Shanghai when the latter service reaches daily frequency." It used "restoring" so I guess FRA it is.

Thanks DCF, I was not aware the demand on the main Euro airports was so fragmented.
My interest was looking at ways of avoiding LHR on my business trips to Europe, whilst enjoying Air NZ which is one of my favourite airlines. I agree that there many options for Europe. I often fly into CPH or FRA, as the connecting flight to where I want to go to is only an hour or two. And these two airports are much better than LHR, IMHO.
Then again, there is much competition between Euro carriers flying from Asia into Europe. Air NZ would have to compete against them, reducing margins, and possibly being unprofitable if yield is not high.

What we really need is NZ, BMI and LH all flying out of the same terminal at LHR. It's the inconvenient transfer from T3 to T1 (especially having just arrived from LAX) that ruins it a bit for NZ.

What we really need is NZ, BMI and LH all flying out of the same terminal at LHR. It's the inconvenient transfer from T3 to T1 (especially having just arrived from LAX) that ruins it a bit for NZ.

Which is due to happen something like 2010 or 2012 IIRC. LHR reshuffle is dependent on T5 completion.

South African Airways fly out of Terminal 1 at Heathrow. They have their own lounge across from BMI, and their passengers can transfer seamlessly onto any BMI domestic and European flights.

Why don't Air NZ move from T3 to T1 now, and use the SAA lounge instead of the UA one?

Because T1 is full, and as part of LHR masterplan BMI and SAA will be moving out of T1 in few/several years.