School’s out: Air New Zealand jets Kiwi sunseekers offshore

10 July 2018

Air New Zealand is experiencing its busiest winter school holidays on record, with a quarter more Kiwis booked to travel to international destinations than the same period five years ago.

Analysis of customers booked on Air New Zealand flights over the two-week winter school holiday found Australia remains the most popular destination, followed by the United States and Fiji, but with hot-spots Bali and Vietnam making the top 10 for the first time.

West Coasters and Southlanders are most likely to head to Rarotonga for their winter sun, while Brisbane is the most popular for Dunedinites and Cantabrians. Family favourite Fiji is the top choice for customers starting their trip from Auckland, Napier and Palmerston North.

Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Anita Hawthorne says the airline’s analysis shows New Zealanders are savvy travellers who plan holidays in advance.

“While most of the world makes flight bookings on the weekend and around four weeks before departure, we’ve found Kiwis arrange holidays two to three months in advance, with the most popular time to book flights on our website Wednesday night at 8.00pm.

“More than 20 percent of customers heading overseas these school holidays booked their trip on a Wednesday, and 15 percent redeemed Airpoints Dollars to pay for their flights, including customers using Airpoints FlexiPay to part pay with Airpoints Dollars and cash.”

Air New Zealand will operate 17 percent more seats to Pacific Island destinations, and 45 percent more seats to Hawaii and to Bali this school holiday period compared to 2017.

For families looking for a last-minute school holiday escape, Air New Zealand still has availability to a range of destinations including Brisbane, the Pacific Islands and Los Angeles.

Air New Zealand recommends customers travelling over the holidays download the Air New Zealand mobile app and subscribe to its Travel Alert service to keep up to date on the go.

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