Air New Zealand Air Points - "suspension of hamilton-sydney/gold coast services"

Air New Zealand wishes to advise the suspension of services between Hamilton-Sydney and between Hamilton-Gold Coast from 29 March to 24 October 2009 due to weak demand and an oversupply of trans-Tasman capacity from Auckland.

Schedules filed in your GDS between now and the 29 March 2009, including the earlier cancellation of Hamilton-Gold Coast services between 29 January and 29 March, remain un-changed.

We will continue to operate 2 x services per week between Hamilton-Brisbane on Tuesdays & Saturdays providing access to the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.

We regret having to suspend the 3 services per week to Sydney and the 2 services per week to the Gold Coast, however with poor load factors, equally poor yield and high fuel costs, Air New Zealand cannot afford to fly routes that lose money in the current economic environment.

For passengers booked and ticketed on 086 paper, prior to 29 March 2009, the following will take place over the next couple of days:

* Hamilton-Sydney passengers - will be rebooked via Auckland
* Hamilton-Gold Coast passengers - pax ticketed to travel on a Thursday will be rebooked via Auckland (except pax booked for May/June travel - they will be re-booked to a Friday service via AKL) / pax ticketed to travel on a Saturday will be rebooked on HLZ-BNE service.

Im not surprised and im sure the services wont start back up at the end of 2009.

I'm not surpised given the fall in patronage.

What might ultimately happen is either:
A budget airline such as OzJet moves to fill the gap created by AirNZ terminating its full-service product.

AirNZ announces late next year that it will continue services following a public outcry and increasing patronage on the remaining Brisbane service.

This does raise the question as to what Palmerston North will be left with.

What might ultimately happen is either:
A budget airline such as OzJet moves to fill the gap created by AirNZ terminating its full-service product.
AirNZ announces late next year that it will continue services following a public outcry and increasing patronage on the remaining Brisbane service.

Or there really is insufficient demand and yields and the service will not resume. And folks who want to cross the Tasman will have to connect through a feeder route.

Yes exactly. Leaving off the other option is another reason why I shouldn't cut and paste my comments from another window! :mad:

Perhaps someone could comment on the load-factors on the Dunedin services?

According to this article (http://www.stuff.co.nz/4718058a34.html), flights from DUD to SYD and BNE will be cut from combined 7 flights a week to 5 flights a week.

I'm in no technical position to comment but I have seen quite a few Business Saver fares to Sydney and Brisbane from Dunedin quite close to flight dates. Haven't seen this anywhere else, in fact I've never actually seen a Business Saver fare for short haul flights apart from out of DUD.

I'm in no technical position to comment but I have seen quite a few Business Saver fares to Sydney and Brisbane from Dunedin quite close to flight dates. Haven't seen this anywhere else, in fact I've never actually seen a Business Saver fare for short haul flights apart from out of DUD.

There has been business saver fares on all the ex-Freedom Air routes (except PMR which was axed) at odd times this year.

I've flown all of these routes in the past 7 months and sometimes business class is totally empty, sometimes it is full and sometimes half full. I would guess it averages about 5 out of the 8 seats on my flights. There hasn't seemed to be any pattern.