United Airlines and Air New Zealand Announce New Nonstop Service Between Chicago and Auckland

AUCKLAND, New Zealand and CHICAGO, March 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Air New Zealand today announced it will begin new nonstop service between Auckland and Chicago, beginning Nov. 30, 2018. The new service announcement deepens the joint venture relationship between Air New Zealand and United Airlines. In addition to the new route announcement, United announced it will extend its seasonal service between San Francisco and Auckland to year-round beginning April 2019.

"We expect the addition of Chicago to our network to be an attractive option for Americans keen to explore New Zealand and Kiwis wanting to visit Chicago or head on to other North American destinations," says Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon. "As well as being great for travelers, this new route is also good news for New Zealand, as we expect it to contribute around $70 million annually to our economy, and we know that more than 50 percent of spending by U.S. visitors is done outside of the main centers. We'll be working alongside our colleagues at United Airlines to grow the route and visitor numbers in both directions."

"By adding Chicago to the Air New Zealand route network, and with United's increased service between San Francisco and Auckland, we are proud to offer our customers more ways to get between the United States and New Zealand and more connection opportunities in those cities than any other airline in the world," said United's International Network Vice President Patrick Quayle. "Today's announcements are great examples of the customer benefits that result from the strong, strategic alliance and partnership between United Airlines and Air New Zealand." 

Air New Zealand service between Auckland and Chicago

From Nov. 30, 2018, Air New Zealand will operate three times weekly, year-round service with its new configuration Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Flight time will be approximately 15 hours northbound and just over 16 hours southbound. Air New Zealand code share service will be offered on around 100 flights across the U.S. for convenient connections to Auckland via Chicago. United Airlines operates more flights from its hub at O'Hare International Airport than any other airline, with more than 500 flights to 147 airports across the United States.

United expands service between San Francisco and Auckland

Beginning in April 2019, United will extend service between its West Coast hub in San Francisco and Auckland to year-round with three-times-weekly service. In partnership with Air New Zealand, United's flight arriving in Auckland will offer passengers more than 20 connections across the region. The return trip utilizes United's extensive route network in San Francisco, which provides connections to the United States, Canada, and Latin America. United operates more than 290 daily flights from its hub at San Francisco International Airport to 79 airports across the U.S. and 26 international destinations. Tickets for the expanded San Francisco schedule will be available on united.com and airnewzealand.com later this year.

United service between San Francisco and Auckland will operate with a Boeing 777-300ER between November and March and will operate with Boeing 777-200ER aircraft between April and October. 

Since United and Air New Zealand began their alliance in 2016, the joint venture has opened up more travel options for U.S. and New Zealand travelers than ever before. Overall passenger volumes have grown as customers traveling from New Zealand to the U.S. connect to United's broad domestic network from its hubs in Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Air New Zealand's new flights to Chicago are now available at airnewzealand.com and will be available on Friday, March 30, 2018 on united.com.

The new Chicago – Auckland Northern Winter 2018 schedule from 30 November 2018 is as follows:

Flights will arrive into and depart from Terminal 5 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
The above timings are subject to change.

About United

United Airlines, including United Express, is a U.S.-based airline operating approximately 4,500 flights a day to 338 airports across five continents.  In 2017, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 148 million customers.  United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C.  United operates 744 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 507 regional aircraft. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is multi-award winning international airline which delivers uniquely Kiwi journeys to more than 16 million customers who fly to, from and within New Zealand each year.

The airline operates on average more than 3,500 flights each week, connecting customers to 21 destinations within New Zealand and to international ports across Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America and the Pacific Islands. For more information, visit www.airnewzealand.co.nz or follow the airline on Facebook or Twitter.

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Avianca Brasil, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 18,400 daily flights to 1,300 airports in 191 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner, Juneyao Airlines. For more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow Star Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn or Instagram.

SOURCE United Airlines