Air New Zealand is streamlining its main trunk services and adding more flights during peak times. A new schedule will have services on the hour every hour between Auckland and Christchurch and hourly flights between Auckland and Wellington from May 2. It will also operate half hourly services at peak business times on both routes – increasing average weekday capacity between Auckland and Christchurch by 18 per cent and between Auckland and Wellington by 3 per cent. The existing timetable has flights between the main centres nearly every hour, however, there are longer windows between services around mid morning, noon and 4pm. Air New Zealand chief sales and commercial officer Cam Wallace said the amendments would result in a less complex schedule with improved connectivity and consistency. "We are continually reviewing and tweaking our network schedule to ensure we are matching capacity with demand and operating a schedule which best suits our customers' needs," Wallace said. The new schedule would be rolled out over the next week.
Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/76979213/air-new-zealand-enhances-main-trunk-schedules
It is part of Air NZ planned strategy to offer cheap fares on their 2 main trunk services - AKL/CHC/AKL and AKL/WLG/AKL.
ReplyDeleteThen they will reduce fares lower or matching Jetstar fares on their routes, teaching Jetstar not to go regional.
Air NZ has the A320 numbers to do it as oppose to Jetstar.
Also, I think it is a ploy to say to the Wellington airport company, that they have necessary amount of flights between WLG/AKL to connect will all Air NZ out bound international flights to stop Wellington airport being extended and eliminate any perceived competition from using Wellington as a major 3rd international gateway, that could undermined their AKL hub.
Agreed Kris.
DeleteStraight to the point. Well put.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Jetstar would be that scared of this A320 battle. What it would be is allowing more ATRs onto the regional routes to tackle Jetstar's fuel thirsty Q300s.
Dunedin has also benefitted with more non stop AKL and Wellington A320 services. An almost complete turn around from downgrading DUD to almost all turboprop services 20 years ago.
That is why Air NZ has been buying more ATR72's (excluding the replacements for the 11 500's), so they can operate ATR72-600's on regional routes that Jetstar operates on.
ReplyDeleteIts all part of Air NZ's 300,000 seats under $50.00 strategy.
I am still of the belief, that Air NZ (Air Nelson) will replace the Q300's with ATR42-600's.
Air NZ has already said, that the ATR's, despite being slower then the Q300's, are more economic to operate.
If that is the case, will Mt Cook be merged into Air Nelson or vica versa to form 1 company to operate a fleet of 42-600 and 72-600, that are all equipped with RNP AR?
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next 5 years.
That is why Air NZ has been buying more ATR72's (excluding the replacements for the 11 500's), so they can operate ATR72-600's on regional routes that Jetstar operates on.
ReplyDeleteIts all part of Air NZ's 300,000 seats under $50 strategy, to give Jetstar some very healthy competition.
I am still of the belief, that Air NZ (Air Nelson) will replace the Q300's with ATR42-600's.
Air NZ has already said, that the ATR's, despite being slower then the Q300's, are more economic to operate.
If thats the case, will Mt Cook will be merged into Air Nelson or vica versa to form 1 company to operate a fleet of 42-600 and 72-600, that are all equipped with RNP AR?
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next 5 years.
ATR42-600's aren't going to happen.
DeletePeriod.
More likely the Q300s will be replaced with more 72-600s. Almost no advantage of a 42-600. Company is also not that keen on a merger of the links, seperate contracts mean less collective bargaining power.
ReplyDeleteBang on. Agree whole heartedly. Hoping this is a long way off though. Dislike the ATRS
DeleteIt's fairly certain when it comes time to replace the 23 Q300s there won't be an order for 23 ATR 42. Instead Air Nelson would get a smaller number of 42's and Cook would receive more 72s
DeleteI think an ATR72 is too big for AKL-WRE/TUO/WAG/PPQ, WLG-GIS/PMR/YOU, CHC-BHE/HKK so I'm nearly certain they'll order 14-15 ATR42s for those markets.
Delete*TIU not YOU
DeleteTheres abit of difference in the operating cost of the 42 and 72, eneough i beileive that they will get some 42 exspecialy on routes which your only going to have eneough to fill a 42 also i think the 42 is faster than the q300 and 72 because of having the same engines as the 72
ReplyDeleteWRE would be a challenge with the 72
DeleteOh really?
DeleteCould you give everybody on here a detailed breakdown of your ATR experience (actual, not MSFS) which allows you to make that assumption?
Lmao
DeleteThere is a significant chapter in Air Nelson's history book to be written at the end of August when their Operations Control and Crew Control functions merge with Mt Cook and will be based at Christchurch under the Air NZ Regional Operations Centre. This move coincides with the cessation of Eagle Air flying and the rebranding of its maintenance facility at Hamilton to Air NZ Regional who will conduct maintenance on the turboprop fleet.
ReplyDeleteThat is why I thought it would be cheaper to merge Mt Cook/Air Nelson into one company, with 1 aircraft type in regards to spares, maintenance flight/cabin crewing and operations, seeing how Christopher Luxton is stream lining Air NZ into 3 jet aircraft types for domestic, short and long haul services.
DeleteA Q300 flight attendant told be last year that Air Nelson cabin crew where being crossed trained on both Q300 and ATR aircraft types.
That Q300 flight attendant was wrong.
DeleteIt has been talked about in the past. However its not that simple, there are a lot of issues around training, contracts, and bases.
They are two different airlines on two different certificates, their own SOPs and ways of doing things. A new company would have to be formed with streamlined procedures.
It would effect almost 400 cabin crew, they'd all have to undergo either types training. There would be a large period of time where rostering would be a nightmare, some trained, some not, all in different bases.
There are restrictions on working two different aircraft types in a single shift, week etc.
And the biggest hurdle of all would be the contract negotiation.
Would the crew be paid different rates for days worked on the different types?
The 100 or so Air Nelson crew get a pay rise to equal Mt Cook?
Or do the MtCook crew come down to Air Nelson's pay level? They'd never take that!
Sole charge with upto 300 passengers a day on your own is a lot more intense than dual crew ATR work so the Mt Cook crew wouldn't be too keen to suddenly take on higher workloads for no gain.
So taking a step back, to merge and have everybody happy, everyone would have to be paid more, all in the name of a perceived efficiency.
Theres 23 50 seaters and soon to be 29 68 seaters, two fleets, two sets of crews, contracts priced to best suit the economics of the size.
So a Q300 flight attendant is paid less compared to ATR flight attendant, despite having to cater more passengers. Thats not fair.
DeleteFlew WLG/HLZ on a Q300 and there was 48 passengers. The flight attendant had her work cut out.
Like pilots, pay is relative to the size of the aircraft, not the number of passengers per FA.
DeleteIndeed the crew on those Dash 8's work the hardest.
How much life does the Q300's have left?
ReplyDeleteThe last Q300 was delivered May 2008. The first Q300 was delivered around mid 2006 so they are about 8-10 years old.
DeleteIf Air NZ (Air Nelson) wants to get a good price for them, I suspect that replacement will start 2018/2019 onwards.
Air NZ could later this year or early 2017 about their replacement, depending on what discount that ATR will give, considering that Air NZ (Mt Cook) will the largest operator of the ATR72-600's in the Australasia/Pacific region and spare production slots that at available.
The last ATR72-600 is due early 2020.
First Q300 entered in Air New Zealand's fleet was 25th July2005
DeleteAn Eagle pilot was paid less then any other AirNZ Link pilot despite working much harder. Not only would the flight attendant merger be a nightmare but also for the pilots. Cook wouldn't give up the 5th day off and Nelson wouldn't give up the 72 hour duty change refusal without a fight.
ReplyDeletePeople incorrectly look at data online and make statements like " the ATR will struggle out of WRE ", it will, with a full load, as do many aircraft at many airports. Fact of the matter is, a fleet wide ATR72-600 fleet can operate everywhere in the network, but with restricted landing / takeoff weights at some ports. Yes that increases the CASK on those sectors but fleet simplicity and flexibility outweighs that. You don't go around buying less cost efficient, sub fleets just to operate into Gisborne on a hot day.
A possibility would be to run 72-600's at Air Nelson, on a NSN contract alongside 72-600's at Mount Cook. With the maintenance already done by a seperate subsidiary. This preserves the split contracts, allows the company to leverage its bargaining position, all while avoiding the cataclysmic preverbal storm that would result in a full merger.
WRE is restricted to only a select few captains allowed to land and take off with the Q300.
DeleteMinimum number of landings in so many days etc: perhaps someone could elaborate
Ah no it's not.
DeleteI doubt many of the people posting here actually work for the airline or are even pilots.
DeleteMost would be enthusiasts and spotters.
First time poster here, yes I work for the airline. Air Nelson has a restriction on PPQ and WRE, only the captain of the Q300 can land there.
DeleteIn regard to WRE there are only a handful or so captains approved to operate there and they must keep current.
Restricted in the fact that it requires some extra training. But it's hardly a " select few ", in concept no different to AirNZ Queenstown qualification.
ReplyDelete