About 400 more passengers have flown the Hokitika to Christchurch route since Air New Zealand introduced the larger 50-seater planes to the daily service in May. The airline confirmed on Friday that while passenger numbers were confidential, it could confirm more than 400 additional customers had been carried over the first two months since Q300 planes had been deployed exclusively on the Hokitika-Christchurch route. That increase is despite two fewer flights out of Hokitika Airport each day. From May 1, the airline dropped both the early morning and late evening flights as part of its revised 2016 domestic schedule, taking effect progressively throughout the country. Before making the change, Air NZ said the larger planes would bring more capacity into Hokitika and provide a better platform to offer lower fares. Hokitika Airport manager Drew Howat said that seemed to have happened. "There's been some pretty cheap fares out there... some Grab-a-seat fares as low as $29," Mr Howat said. "It appears Air NZ are doing what they said they would do and lower the prices, which is really good." However, those extra people who were filling the terminal at once was putting pressure on the limited space. Mr Hoat said changes were planned for the layout of the building, including rental car desks. The airport cafe currently remains unoccupied.
Source : Hokitika Guardian, 8 August 2016
So very good news for HKK, looks like it is safe from the axe for now!
ReplyDeleteThis is very good news to hear, glad to see the numbers do look good, don't really want another center to get the Axe form Air NZ
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't pay then why stay? The $20million asset could be used elsewhere
DeleteAnonymous appears to assume the HKK-CHC-HKK service is not profitable. I have not seen Air NZ or anyone else make that statement. Could Anonymous please share his sources and / or the data and calculations he/she has used to arrive at his/her assumption.
DeleteAir NZ did not pay $20 million each for their Q300s they got a significant discount with their bulk order from Bombardier.
DeleteMarket value today, due to their high demand makes them this valuable, even despite their use. Airlines always talk about their fleets at list prices. Jetstar did this when they started their regional services, despite their aircraft being around 16 years old
DeleteIt is a good start... I wonder if it is enough. It will be interesting to see if it improves when the schedule improves in November
ReplyDeleteThat should help it further. Scheduling can make or break a service if Blenheim had a better schedule from Christchurch it would have been more popular and may have been viable enough to be kept.
DeleteResources are already stretched. No available Q300s to offer s better schedule than what was offered at the time.
DeleteBetter Q300 services can only occur as fast as new ATRs arrive to free them up.
Plus with one getting repainted each month till the end of the year there is less slack in the fleet. Next year they will have a spare frame to play with.
DeleteIf CHC/HKK/CHC service is to survive, the West Coast needs to start promoting itself as tourism destination, additional to the current business, friends and family travel.
ReplyDeleteI still believe that Air NZ will keep the service going, mainly because potential tourism.