I was in Palmerston North last week and was amazed at how many ATR flights it gets... up to 10 per day to Auckland and 5 to Christchurch... Similarly Napier gets up to 11 per day to Auckland, 5 to Wellington and 4 to Christchurch.
One wonders if there is a case building for some regional jets and if so what, Airbus 220, Embraer 195???
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHm6yLxdPdaA-TRa8teWTqnxuiNoFrCFXg-2FmCBdj6y147hHUpVvFDnkFWOdKDBk_BYgZocuGOPsrk4N-DH5e71IzegZ4PBMWqywTd7ntGvQJcSKH8wBq0skMYkmZFoExcNYkqO0lzezuQgV0ks2-cBnsKXZm58SZvsxmER5rIFsI1auB96aqlRHwZtwb/w640-h228/20230930%20MZE%20NZPM%20Air%20New%20Zealand%20S%20Lowe.JPG) |
ATR 72-600 ZK_MZE on the departure from Palmerston North on 30 September 2023 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw3fm8t_TQDPLsAO5laObCzcnxjrcwdInn4G7oRX4zqSUu-1kzY7woezcIMCJmyotoDG-aBJ33YvyI5-R1oWSblhooIQOPXfhdDWdO8pfrwkbgTM_5B2DynHu1H01jxIvSxXk6IqPIvYDpvjjUiJE5ygfuz_cXrvReCVUp1l_JnbOnC-0d-58kMZGu6Zs/w640-h254/20230930%20MTJ%20NZPM%20Massey%20University%20S%20Lowe.JPG) |
Massey Aviation's Diamond DA40 Star ZK-MTJ at Palmerston North on 30 September 2023 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyL9waBC16gW6JQuyTHY7Uuwxg_R5F8z7v3Offoy5ykltQT_1NDmZKVgmcrbaon8pQU-irH0zxr2wRrSX1RkdXmIKSAk0JRdNbv1SVIqXlTmxXmivgUWs0z98lB_H6arL1SWmJAfQ3UrY5KW9ScA_xLqlwYOyakNGhJEKjZgZUSs-vRrfGIiMT4zBUZD8/w640-h266/20230930%20MVH%20NZPM%20Air%20New%20Zealand%20S%20Lowe%20(1).JPG) |
My ride to Christchurch, ATR 72-600 ZK-MVH arriving on the gate at Palmerston North on 30 September 2023 |
No regional jets please.
ReplyDeleteOne of the charms of flying from Palmy is not needing to worry about security screening (though the lack of destinations is becoming a problem - expecially since the transfer link to Welington was removed)
Completely agree with you 100%.
DeleteAlso having the frequency that Turboprops can offer is awesome. I would much rather have 10 ATR flights on a route than say 6 RJs.
Frequency might not matter much to the normal leisure traveller, but to those of us who travel often for work/business, time is money, and regular, frequent flights is key. I'm usually around 6-8 Regional flights a week at the moment, and I certainty appreciate Air NZ and the options/timings they provide to 'most' Regional Ports.
Not having the Wellington connection is a right pain in the behind. I was a VERY regular user of the service, and they were more often than not pretty full. With the train only running once daily, the only option is to hire a car and drive. And one way rentals are expensive! I have taken to flying to WLG via a CHC or AKL connection. Might take longer than the drive, but it is cheaper at times!