Air New Zealand is offering a summer sale with a difference – a reverse auction on its website bags-it.co.uk. The auction of return economy flights to New Zealand starts today at 12 noon (GMT) and ends when all the seats are sold.
Flights on the site will reduce in price throughout the afternoon, at random times and by random increments. There are a limited number of seats available, and the website will have an online counter to show the number of seats left at any given time.
Scott Carr, Air New Zealand's general manager for the UK and Europe, said: "Last month 100 flights to and from Hong Kong were auctioned and all the tickets were 'bagged' within eight hours. The most steely-nerved buyers picked up a fare of just £149 including taxes - nearly 60 per cent off the starting price on the day.”
Flight and route restrictions apply on the tickets, however, and passengers won’t be able to earn frequent flyer points or miles when travelling.
The airline plans to repeat the auction format in the future for other destinations, with Los Angeles a possibility.
Visit bags-it.co.uk to bid, or for more information on the airline visit airnewzealand.co.uk
Report by Sara Turner
