Qantas just made international headlines by testing a jaw-dropping 19-hour direct flight between Sydney and New York.
Not to be outdone, Air New Zealand announced today that it will begin non-stop service between Auckland and Newark which will be introduced as early as October 2020. This will be the 5th longest flight in the world (behind Newark to Singapore, Auckland to Doha, Perth to London, and Auckland to Dubai). The flight will take 15 hours and 40 minutes eastbound and 17 hours and 40 minutes westbound.
Flying into Newark’s Liberty International Airport makes sense since Air New Zealand is a part of the Star Alliance and United uses Newark as it’s New York-area hub.
The announcement isn’t all good news, though, as the airline also announced that it will be stopping flights to London around the same time.
Since I’m based in California, I doubt I’ll be flying this route, although I’m excited for any new routes between New Zealand and the United States!
Josh Trips 