NEWARK, N.J. and AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Air New Zealand and United Airlines today announced the only nonstop service between New Zealand and the United States East Coast will begin in October 2020. Air New Zealand announced it will begin three-times weekly new nonstop service between Auckland and New York/Newark, further strengthening the joint venture relationship between Air New Zealand and United Airlines.

In 2018, Air New Zealand and United Airlines announced new year-round nonstop Air New Zealand service between Chicago and Auckland.

"Air New Zealand's nonstop flight will cut travel time by around three hours, putting New Zealand in easy reach of New York and the East Coast United States," said Jeff McDowall, Air New Zealand's acting Chief Executive Officer. "It's terrific we can make a seamless journey a reality for Kiwis wanting to experience New York and for U.S. travelers who have added New Zealand to their bucket list and we look forward to partnering with United Airlines to grow travel in both directions."

"United's strong, strategic alliance partnership with Air New Zealand provides our customers with more options to travel between the United States and New Zealand than any other airline in the world and we are proud to partner on this first ever nonstop service connecting New Zealand with our hub at Newark Liberty International Airport," said John Gebo, United's senior vice president of Alliances. "We are excited to offer our shared customers another option when planning travel to beautiful New Zealand while conveniently connecting visitors to more than 90 destinations across the United States with just one-stop connections at our New York hub."

Air New Zealand service between New York/Newark and Auckland

Air New Zealand will operate three times weekly, year-round service with its newly configurated Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Flight time will be approximately 17 hours and 40 minutes southbound and 15 hours 40 minutes northbound.

Air New Zealand code share service will be offered on 90 flights across the U.S. for convenient connections to Auckland via New York/Newark. United Airlines operates more flights from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport than any other airline, with more than 400 flights in the U.S. and around the world.

Since United and Air New Zealand began their alliance in 2016, the joint venture has opened up more travel options for U.S. and New Zealand travelers than ever before. Overall passenger volumes have grown as customers traveling from New Zealand to the U.S. connect to United's broad domestic network through its hubs in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Air New Zealand's new flights between New York/Newark and Auckland will be available for purchase beginning in November on united.com:

Every customer. Every flight. Every day.

In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers' best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today's news, United recently announced that MileagePlus miles will now never expire, giving members a lifetime to use miles on flights and experiences. Customers now have more free on board snack options as well, with a choice of Lotus Biscoff cookies, pretzels and the Stroopwafel. The airline also recently released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry, introduced ConnectionSaver – a tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers connecting from one United flight to the next – and launched PlusPoints, a new upgrade benefit for MileagePlus premier members.

About United

United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United and United Express operate approximately 4,900 flights a day to 358 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 788 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express partners operate 560 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 26 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand is a multi-award winning international airline which delivers uniquely Kiwi journeys to more than 17 million customers who fly to, from and within New Zealand each year.

The airline operates on average more than 3,500 flights each week, connecting customers to 21 destinations within New Zealand and to international ports across Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America and the Pacific Islands. For more information, visit www.airnewzealand.co.nz or follow the airline on Facebook or Twitter.

About Star Alliance

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI and United. Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 19,000 daily flights to 1,250 airports in 195 countries. Further connecting flights are offered by Star Alliance Connecting Partner, Juneyao Airlines. For more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com and/or follow Star Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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SOURCE United Airlines