Air New Zealand cancels some services for May and June

Air New Zealand announced today that the continued softening of forward bookings on some international routes due to the effects of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has resulted in the airline making further cancellations of some services for May and June, in addition to those previously announced.

These changes, along with those announced 31 March, represent a 7% reduction in total available capacity across the airline's international network (as measured in available seats per kilometre).

Air New Zealand said that customers due to fly on the cancelled services will be rebooked on the next suitable flight and notified of the changes to the airlines schedule by their booking agent. The international services cancelled during May & June, are now as follows:

Japan

* Auckland/Nagoya/Auckland - all scheduled flights (three times per week) have now been cancelled from Thursday 15 May to 30 June inclusive, a total of 21 return flights

* Auckland/Kansai/Christchurch/Auckland - two of the six services per week have been cancelled ( Sundays & Tuesdays ) most weeks from Sunday 25 May to Tuesday 01 July, a total of eleven return flights

* A daily service to Narita will remain, however, three of the five services will utilise smaller aircraft changing from a Boeing 747 400 aircraft (392 seats) to a Boeing 767 300 aircraft (230 seats).

These are as follows:

* Auckland/Narita/Auckland - Sunday flights: 25 May; 08, 15 & 29 June

* Auckland/Narita/Christchurch/Auckland - Monday flights: 12,19 & 26 May; 02, 09,16 & 23 June; and Tuesday flights: 27 May; 03, 10, 17 & 24 June.

Hong Kong

* Auckland/Hong Kong/Auckland - Monday 05 May service cancelled (in addition to the eight return flights previously announced 31 March).

Los Angeles

Auckland - Los Angeles flights cancelled on the following days: Friday 23 May, Wednesday 11 June & Sunday 15 June ( in addition to the five services previously announced 31 March).

The above Los Angeles services were introduced in anticipation of extra demand following the withdrawal of United Airlines from the route in April. Air New Zealand said it will continue to operate the usual double daily service between Auckland and Los Angeles.

Partially offsetting these cancellations has been the strengthening in forward bookings on the airlines trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic routes and domestic booking levels have remained strong.

The airlines said that cargo plays a important part on the overall profitability of its routes to Asia, in particular Hong Kong, and has continued to hold on these routes.