Jetstar has announced plans to fly from Melbourne and Cairns to Auckland next year.
From December 13, Jetstar will launch daily services between Melbourne and Auckland, followed by a three times weekly Cairns-Auckland service from April 12 2011. Both services will be operated by 177-seat A320s, and represents an additional 92,000 seats annually on the trans-Tasman market.
“Australia is the number one international destination for Kiwi travellers and by further growing our low fares offering across the Tasman we expect to further stimulate demand, for the benefit of the Queensland and Victorian tourism industries and local communities,” said CEO Bruce Buchanan.
The new services appear to be a strike against the Virgin Blue-Air New Zealand alliance, which is expected to be approved by competition authorities in coming months. Both routes represent key markets for Virgin Blue and Air New Zealand, although the alliance could see the two carriers consolidate capacity in an attempt to regain yield in the competitive trans-Tasman market.
