Jetstar has announced an expansion of its New Zealand operations which includes adding two new trans-Tasman routes and basing an eighth Airbus A320 in Christchurch.
The budget Australian airline is launching a Christchurch-Cairns route as well as an Auckland-Sunshine Coast route, which will compete directly with Air New Zealand.
The expansion will also increase capacity on several domestic routes within Aotearoa and marks the biggest boost to Jetstar's presence in New Zealand in over a decade.
Air NZ operates its Auckland-Sunshine Coast services seasonally and on Monday heralded their restart for 2024 on Wednesday, June 26.
While all Air NZ passengers flying the route will get in-flight entertainment and snacks or a meal, Jetstar customers will have to pay extra. However, when the Australian airline launches the service in December, it will operate it all-year round rather than just seasonally.
Air NZ does not fly between Christchurch and Cairns direct, but does allow customers to travel the route with stopovers.
To promote its new services, Jetstar announced launch sale prices, which will be available for 24 hours for select travel dates as follows:
- Christchurch to Cairns from $220
- Cairns to Christchurch from AU$229 (NZ$250)
- Auckland to Sunshine Coast from $199
- Sunshine Coast to Auckland from AU$215 (NZ$235).
Jetstar is also adjusting the flight times for its Christchurch-Melbourne route to improve connectivity with its long-haul international network, making it more convenient to reach destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Singapore and Bangkok.
Discussing the expansion on AM, Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said as well as adding capacity it will also make the airline more reliable.
"Our reliability has really turned the corner. The last few months we've had next to no cancellations, they've actually been around 1 percent and we had 50 days that covered March with not one cancellation at all," said Tully.
"For airlines, there's always going to be weather events and things that mean you have to change your plans. But Jetstar is actually rivalling the other domestic airline here in terms of our reliability stats. And we're a much cheaper option.
"So we think it's the perfect time to add more competition and options for Kiwis."
Jetstar will be increasing domestic capacity first with its Christchurch-Auckland and Auckland-Wellington routes, but said it plans to further grow domestic operations over the next 12 months.
