Oneworld founding member American Airlines will resume flying between Auckland and Los Angeles starting with a daily seasonal service that will launch on December 21 and operate until March 3.
The LA flight will complement American’s current daily flights between Auckland and its Dallas Fort Worth hub.
The Auckland-LA flight will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and it will depart Auckland at 1550, arriving at LAX at 0655 the same day.
The return flight will leave LAX at 2350, arriving in Auckland at 1025, two days later.
American’s 787-9 aircraft come in a three-class configuration including 30 full-flat business class seats configured 1-2-1; 21 premium economy recliners in a 2-3-2 setup; and 234 economy class seats configured 3-3-3, including 36 ‘Main Cabin Extra’ seats with more legroom.
American first launched flights between Auckland and LA in June 2016 but suspended the route during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic it had also announced flights from LA to Christchurch, but the launch eventually did not proceed.
American returned to New Zealand in October 2022, although flying between Auckland and Dallas Fort Worth instead of LA.
“The response we had from the New Zealand public when we returned to shores last year was overwhelmingly positive, so we’re excited to be launching our new seasonal LAX route later this year,” said American Airlines vice president of operations and commercial for EMEA and APAC Kyle Mabry.
Auckland Airport chief customer officer Scott Tasker said the route would bring more competition and choice for travel between New Zealand and North America.
