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FLYING TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND
All the current domestic routes are listed below, with links to reports on a selection of those flights. I've now flown all of the domestic routes operated by NZ (Air New Zealand), QF (jetconnect aka Qantas) and DJ (Pacific Blue aka Virgin Blue). I've also flown a handful of routes on minor airlines, which I'm adding to from time to time. QF has a limited route network of AKL-WLG/CHC/ZQN, CHC-ROT/ZQN. DJ has an even more limited route network of AKL-WLG/CHC, WLG-CHC and CHC-DUD. However, there is not much time to rest on my laurels, for a new domestic Air NZ route has been confirmed for 2009. From/To Auckland
From/To Hamilton
From/To Wellington
From/To Nelson
From/To Christchurch
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A special one-off flight - Auckland to Auckland on Qantas A380 in first class
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Auckland to Christchurch on Air NZ 737 in economy class space+. First time with the new check-in processes.
Christchurch to Dunedin on Air NZ ATR72 in economy class. |
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
(Post 10439573)
FLYING TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND
All the current domestic routes are listed below, with links to reports on a selection of those flights. I've now flown all of the domestic routes operated by NZ (Air New Zealand), QF (jetconnect aka Qantas) and DJ (Pacific Blue aka Virgin Blue). I've also flown a handful of routes on minor airlines, which I'm adding to from time to time. QF has a limited route network of AKL-WLG/CHC/ZQN, CHC-ROT/ZQN. DJ has an even more limited route network of AKL-WLG/CHC, WLG-CHC and CHC-DUD. |
Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
(Post 11270489)
Announced today - Jetstar (JQ), low cost subsidiary of Qantas, will be taking over all jetconnect domestic routes from 10 June (except CHC-ROT is dropped and WLG-CHC added). Somehow I do not think I will be flying every jetstar domestic route.
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Today's $5 sale almost tempted me, until NZ went one better with $3.
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AUCKLAND to MASTERTON (AKL-MRO) on Air New Zealand Beech 1900D
When the new route was announced I immediately set to plan how I could fly it to keep my 100% record intact of flying every current Air NZ route. It didn't take me long to see the schedule was convenient for those living in Wairarapa but not so convenient for others (forced overnight, lack of weekend flights and arrival back in Auckland a bit late for workday). Fortunately the 6th flight of the week was a turnaround on Friday evening, so I nabbed this. Fast forward several months and the route has been going just a few days and I'm heading out to the airport once more. This year my travel is but a tiny fraction of what it has been and my itchy feet sure are doing strange things with my mind. I'm looking forward to 2 1/2 days of flying around. It didn't get off to a good start. A 55 minute wait for the airbus (which supposedly runs every 15 minutes). Then just when I am ready to give up, the airbus appears. Unfortunately the bus keeps going right by and I'm left standing grumpily in the soupy humid air trying and failing to interpret the gestures the driver gave me. A look at my watch tells me my time cushion has gone and I admit defeat by calling a cab. The cab turns up 10 minutes later, which isn't bad for Friday rush hour and $70 later I pull up at the terminal. |
While the cabbie was a bit nervous en route I wasn't too worried. Thanks to no bags to check and the e-pass RFID I can just stroll up to the gate and walk on, and in today's inclement weather the flight is bound to be delayed. As it turned out I had enough time to visit the koru club lounge. It was packed as ever on a Friday evening, but even moreso with nearly every flight delayed an hour or so. The food offering was pathetic - much smaller quantities than there used to be with the containers and trays spread well out as if to hide what used to be a bench brimming with food. The hot food was some lousy pasta and had been polished off and wasn't being replaced (that I saw). So I grabbed an apple and a drink and hopped on the computer. The state of weather up and down the country was such that the flight could be cancelled, in which case I'd need to rebook, or it could be diverted to Wellington or Palmerston North and passengers bussed over the hill, in which case I'd likely be spending the night somewhere in the region and throw my travel for tomorrow into chaos. I'd also arranged to meet up with BlackCloud later back in Auckland so checked to see if the weather was affecting his travel.
Amazingly the flight to Masterton was showing as on time, about the only flight in a board filled with cancellations and ever-changing delays. As the PA system was not keeping up with all the changes some flights were not being announced and I simply left the lounge at the appropriate time. Through the back door and out into the terminal I was struck by how the humidity had risen even just in the short time I'd been here and it was uncomfortably hot and wet inside and no better outside. Down by the prop gates the flight was still showing on monitors as on time despite no boarding call, but just a few minutes late we were called. The almost full load of passengers (just 3 empty seats) boarded quickly. Sitting near the front I could hear the pilot request a ground power unit as he'd been told by air traffic control that they had a 15 minute wait before engine start, and it was incredibly wet and sticky inside. After what felt like a long wait finally an engine was started and we got some air flow. We taxiied out and held short of the runway while a long procession of aircraft appeared out of the gloom one by one just before landing. Finally, 30 minutes after boarding we moved onto the runway, paused, the engines were briefly revved and we did a u-turn and headed back off the runway. What was happening? Was bad weather in Masterton preventing our flight? Or perhaps an indicator light for a fault? No, it was a fast approaching Pacific Blue aircraft that was too close to landing which we had to make way for. The false start over we were back on the runway a few minutes later and rolled off into the wind-blown dampness. Hardly were we off the ground and we were enveloped in wet greyness and banked away to the south. 10 minutes later we emerged into the sunlight, dodged a few thunderclouds and were then in clear air. There was no view other than extensive cloud, initially cumulus and towering cumulonimbus and then flatter almost featureless stratus sheets. I read a bit and tried to get a brief sleep. The sun sank below the horizon as we flew by Palmerston North (by my reckoning). If we'd been on time we could have had great views of the Ruahine and Tararua Ranges, and the Wairarapa valley, for the cloud had begun breaking up. Instead we saw dark hills and farmland. It was humid but much cooler here, with patchy low cloud. We flew through one last patch about a minute before landing then saw the lights of Masterton off to the right of the airport and close by. We landed to the south, turned at the end of the runway and taxiied back to the terminal at the other end. It wasn't raining and 20C felt fresh. |
MASTERTON to AUCKLAND (MRO-AKL) on Air New Zealand Beech 1900D
The new terminal was jam packed. The return flight was fairly full and there was also the usual country crowd of family and friends seeing people off and picking up the arriving passengers. I sent off a message to BlackCloud that I was a little late, but we'd made up time en route. The schedule had a 15 minute turn, but with a close to full load in each direction I anticipated it may be 20 to 25 minutes. It turned out to be longer, with the poor airport agent in the first week of opening having to deal with an issue over her cellphone. Apparently there wasn't enough fuel. Unbelievable. The first week of operation at a new terminal, with just 6 flights a week and there is a problem already. The agent handled it fairly cooly, but gave no information other than we had to remain inside the terminal. But being a small town we got the info anyway. I started thinking through the scenarios and potential issues. Would the pilots run out of hours if we wait too long for more fuel to arrive? Where would I stay if stuck here overnight? The terminal is so small I couldn't even see a public phone let alone an accommodation listing (although I'm sure the agent or one of the locals would have seen me right). Perhaps we could do a splash and dash at Palmerston North on the way back, as it is basically under our flight path and being a larger airport may still be open at this hour of evening? Before I got too far with that line of thinking though, the situation was sorted and we boarded to cheers from some of the passengers. We taxiied down to the south, turned and took off to the north. Night had well and truly fallen and with the cloud cover we had no view at all. I managed a power nap and awoke feeling refreshed some 45 minutes later as we descended. It seemed the weather had improved considerably - no heavy squally showers, but the humidity was still high as evidenced by the scattered low cloud lower than the buildings in Manukau City (which are not very tall - less than 10 storeys). We landed over an hour late, and as we taxiied in I noticed the Iron Maiden 757 parked up between the international and domestic terminals. |
brief notes on 8 Qantas flights
All these flights have changed times significantly at least twice since I booked late last year :( Auckland to Wellington (AKL-WLG) on Qantas 737-300 with business seats woohoo business seats, full flight, slept, bumpy landing Wellington to Auckland (WLG-AKL) on Qantas 737-300 with business seats full flight, slept again Auckland to Christchurch (AKL-CHC) on Qantas 737-400 with business seats full flight, another bumpy landing Christchurch to Auckland (CHC-AKL) on Qantas 737-300 no business seats this time, flight late, full flight Auckland to Wellington (AKL-WLG) on Qantas 737-300 notice the Christchurch flight was retimed forward from 9am to 7am, a/c is charlie (ZK-JNC) thus no business seats, full flight, land from south, forgot I was supposed to be meeting Thai-Kiwi :( Wellington to Auckland (WLG-AKL) on Qantas 737-300 charlie again, boarded very late as Qantas computers went down and check in & boarding done manually, full flight, sleep Auckland to Christchurch (AKL-CHC) on Qantas 737-300 charlie yet again, boarded 80 minutes late (yes a/c has lost more time in the 2 flights taken while I was waiting), full flight, sleep, hot norwester on arrival which makes for bumpy landing Christchurch to Auckland (CHC-AKL) on Qantas 737-300 bravo for a change (also no business seats), boarded late and across tarmac, full flight, first 20 minutes very bumpy, on arrival at Auckland Qantas hired a large bus to take passengers flying on to Los Angeles to international terminal as holding up that departure. The flights were full, as have all my Qantas domestic ones this year. Not surprising however, given many flights were taken out of the schedule late last year and early this year. Snack offerings were apples plus (respectively) toastie (jam & cream cheese), marmite scroll, biscuit of some kind, cupcake, same again. Tea, coffee, juice and water. The news of the past week, as expected, had an effect on some of the crew. |
Some changes in domestic flying within NZ.
Qantas (Jetconnect) is no longer flying domestically. Air NZ has announced a new Christchurch to Westport service - look for a future post on this route. Pacific Blue is about to announce a nonstop Auckland to Dunedin service. Jetstar has started flying the following routes Auckland to Wellington Auckland to Christchurch Auckland to Queenstown Christchurch to Wellington Christchurch to Queenstown The Jetstar schedule is rather different to Qantas' old schedule, less business friendly. |
Pacific Blue has commenced Auckland to Dunedin nonstop (there is also one flight a week via CHC), and will shortly commence Auckland to Queenstown nonstop.
Sorry I have been a bit slack on domestic trip reports. I'll post some more on DJ and NZ. |
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