Air New Zealand will stop flying the useful link between Singapore and Auckland next autumn. At the same time, the airline said it will convert its daily London to Auckland service via Los Angeles from a Boeing 747 to a smaller Boeing 777.
Economic reasons have prompted the Star Alliance member to drop Singapore, starting Oct. 2. The airline’s CEO, Bob Fyfe, explained, “North Asian routes represent substantially greater growth prospects than Southeast Asia, which is already served by international airlines.”
ANZ says that most of its passengers flying into Singapore are connecting with other flights, which isn’t profitable as the carrier must share the revenue with other airlines. According to Ed Sims, ANZ’s group general manager, “Only 5% of our passengers are bound for Singapore itself. The vast majority are transferring for destinations in the Northern Hemisphere. Most of these passengers can be served by taking ANZ’s flight to Hong Kong,” which connects with other Star Alliance members’ services and will be extended to London from Oct. 29. In place of Singapore, ANZ will be launching a new service to Shanghai on Nov. 6.
The plane switch on the London to Auckland via Los Angeles service can be interpreted as a downgrade as well as another cost-saving measure.ANZ’s 777s are newer planes, but discerning premium passengers claim they don’t offer the same ambience as the 747. The 747’s two unique features, its upper deck and zone A in the aircraft’s “nose,” are absent on the 777 (ANZ accommodates its 747 premium passengers in these two zones). For passengers spending 24 hours on the plane, such differences are real. The 777 is also fitted with fewer premium seats. ANZ will lose 20 seats in business and 13 seats in premium economy.
Defending his decision to use the 777, Fyfe says, “The B777 has given us the flexibility to right-size aircraft to the varying demands in our markets. With current fuel prices and our focus on optimizing fuel usage it makes sense to use the more fuel efficient B777 on this route.”
The 747 will be switched to its forthcoming London to Auckland (via Hong Kong) service commencing Oct. 29. This is tipped to become the carrier’s flagship service to Europe. As reported previously, the London-Hong Kong-Auckland routing is expected to prove more popular, as passengers are increasingly reluctant to transit through US because of protracted security checks.