Low-cost carrier Jetstar has suspended flights in New Zealand for at least 11 more days, citing difficulties of operating while social distancing rules are in place. Following a resurgence of Covid-19 in New Zealand the Qantas subsidiary suspended all flying in New Zealand until August 26. That has now been extended to September 6 following Monday’s announcement by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern that Auckland will remain in alert level 3 until midnight Sunday. A Jetstar travel alert, published just before midnight Monday, said as a low-cost carrier it was unable to continue its operations in New Zealand while there was a requirement for airlines to keep the middle seat free. “The limitations on the number of customers that are allowed on board our aircraft make the operations of our flights unviable.” Auckland has been in alert level 3 since August 12 while the rest of the country has been in level 2. Under alert level 3 people can travel on domestic air services for only a handful of specific reasons such as if they are travelling to do essential work, facilitating shared caregiving arrangements, relocating a home or business, travelling for medical reasons, because of an emergency or to give effect to a court order. Under alert level 2 New Zealanders can travel, but they must do it in a safe way and remember to keep a record of their journey. Physical distancing applies and people should not travel if they have been requested to self-isolate/quarantine, have symptoms of Covid-19, or are awaiting Covid-19 test results. Jetstar said affected customers were being contacted and offered options, including the ability to change their travel date (to fly between September 7 and 24) at no additional cost or receive a credit voucher for the full amount of their booking.
Meanwhile, Air New Zealand is mandating the wearing of masks or face coverings on its flights from August 31, in line with a Government order that will mandate face coverings to be worn on public transport. Air New Zealand chief executive officer Greg Foran said customers flying from Auckland had been required to wear masks while at level 3 and it had been recommended for customers travelling from other ports. It was also reviewing its domestic network and would be contacting customers who may be affected by the extension of current alert levels, he said. “We understand the impacts these disruptions cause to our customers and we’ll do our best to get our customers to where they need to be,” Foran said. Fare flexibility is still in place and the airline encourages those who no longer wish to fly to opt to hold their fare in credit through its online booking tool. Air New Zealand chief commercial and customer officer Cam Wallace said in a tweet on Monday the airline was blocking for sale 120,000 seats on about 3000 flights between August 27 and September 6 to ensure social distancing requirements were in place. It was also working on reinstating arrangements so people in the same bubble, such as families, could sit together.
Air New Zealand can operate safely without the need for physical distancing on aircraft provided staff wear personal protective equipment and customers wear masks, chief executive Greg Foran says. Until physical distancing rules were relaxed the airline was not able to operate commercially or offer its cheapest lead in fares, Foran said. Foran said under alert level 2 it could sell just under 50 per cent of seats on a turboprop aircraft and just 65 per cent on an A320. “On that basis, to ensure we cover our operating costs, we won’t be able to offer our lowest lead in fares until social distancing measures are removed.” Under alert level 2 New Zealanders can travel, but they must do it in a safe way and keep a record of their journey. Physical distancing applies and people should not travel if they have been requested to self-isolate/quarantine, have symptoms of Covid-19, or are awaiting Covid-19 test results. Foran’s comments come at the same time competitor Jetstar has suspended flights in New Zealand for at least 11 more days. Physical distancing on flights made the low cost carrier’s operation in New Zealand “unviable”, it said in a travel alert. Foran said it was “really tough” for airlines to operate with physical distancing and wanted the rules done away with. “We believe that if masks are required on board for all customers, if staff use PPE and if we all follow good hand hygiene, we can operate safely without physical distancing.” The airline was working to add capacity through upgauging aircraft or adding services. “Ultimately though, the deck is stacked against us here – we won’t be able to offer enough seats, and we certainly can’t operate commercially under these settings.” Air New Zealand is also mandating the wearing of masks or face coverings on its flights from August 31, in line with a Government order that will mandate face coverings to be worn on public transport. Foran said customers flying from Auckland had been required to wear masks while at level 3 and it had been recommended for customers travelling from other ports. The airline is reviewing its domestic network and would be contacting customers who may be affected by the extension of current alert levels, he said. Air New Zealand chief commercial and customer officer Cam Wallace said in a tweet on Monday the airline was blocking for sale 120,000 seats on about 3000 flights between August 27 and September 6 to ensure social distancing requirements were in place. It was also working on reinstating arrangements so people in the same bubble, such as families, could sit together. New Zealand Aviation Coalition co-chair Justin Tighe-Umbers said people wanting to fly in New Zealand were likely to find flights hard to get, and those available would be more expensive. “Every time we go into alert level 2 or higher, two-thirds of the domestic network gets taken out,” Tighe-Umbers said. “That’s the knock-on effect of having to keep from 30-50 per cent of seats empty depending on the aircraft type.” The Ministry of Health’s requirement for physical distancing meant not as many ticket paying passengers were covering the cost of each flight, he said. "Airlines cannot be expected to fly where they can’t cover their costs.” Tighe-Umbers said the risk of catching Covid-19 while travelling by air should not be compared with travelling on a public bus.
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