Swifties assemble: Air New Zealand adding new flights to get fans across the ditch

29 June 2023
  • More than 2,000 new seats to be added around Taylor Swift concert dates
  • New flights from Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland to Melbourne and Sydney
  • Additional capacity on sale from 2:00pm tomorrow

Air New Zealand is adding more than 2,000 seats to its network to cater to the 'Swift surge' in demand following the announcement of Taylor Swift's Australian tour dates.

This will include new return flights from Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland to Sydney and Melbourne, along with additional seats on existing flights. The airline has even planted a surprise for fans, naming some of the new flights 'NZ1989'.

News of the pop star's New Zealand omission on the Eras Tour calendar means Kiwi Swifties have had to look offshore to get their hands on tickets.

Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says the airline knows thousands of Kiwi fans will be looking to secure tickets – and flights – to see Taylor Swift live.

"When tour dates for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour were released last week, we saw a surge in demand for the final day of our Tasman sale with more than 3,500 Kiwis booking flights to coincide with concert dates.

"Now, as general release goes live tomorrow, we're expecting another surge in demand for travel. To get more Swifties to Australia, we've added more than 2,000 seats around the concert dates so fans can travel to the show in 'Style' with Air New Zealand."

The additional seats will be available for sale at 2:00pm tomorrow. 

"Fans hoping to secure their flights will have to act fast, we expect the additional capacity will sell out swiftly.

"During high demand periods, fares increase so we can manage a small supply of seats for last minute travel. We also typically see higher demand and hence pricing for late week and weekend travel dates. We recommend Swifties get on board with booking flights early so they don't miss out."

 

Ends

Issued by Air New Zealand Communications.

Email: media@airnz.co.nz │Twitter: @AirNZMedia

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand's story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat - a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has 104 operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It's a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 7.3 years. Air New Zealand's global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. Pre-Covid, the airline flew more than 17 million passengers every year, with 3,400 flights per week. Air New Zealand was recently named the World's Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline's laser-focus on safety. Last year, Air New Zealand won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand – 8th year in a row.

Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework  helps guide the airline's efforts in tackling some of New Zealand's and the world's most complex challenges. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.

 

About Star Alliance

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of 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: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, 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 18,500 daily flights to 1,321 airports in 193 countries.