Asia is the place to be these school holidays, with flights flying non-stop from Auckland to Bali, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei, and Tokyo. Air New Zealand General Manager Long Haul Scott Carr says that the airline is well prepared to connect New Zealanders with each other and the world these school holidays, but Asia seems to be the place where many are headed to.

“Since Asia opened up again at the beginning of the year, it’s no surprise we’ve seen demand for travel into Asia increase by a huge 166% when compared to the September 2022 school holiday period. “K Pop enthusiasts want to explore Seoul, food lovers can’t get enough of Taipei, and thanks to the newly relaunched route into Bali, many New Zealanders are heading there to visit the unique tropics.”

With the wide variety of culture, history and fun that Asia provides, Air New Zealand is proud that its network can cater to almost any traveler’s needs. “Locally, Queenstown remains the most popular destination on the New Zealand network with 49,000 customers flying from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

“Across the regions, we have almost 132,000 people traveling in and out of airports in Dunedin, Nelson, Napier, Palmerston North, and New Plymouth. Across the ditch, a further 125,000 passengers are taking flight for Australia and 45,000 passengers are going to be relaxing in the Pacific Islands.

“These school holidays, Fridays and Sundays will be the busiest days for travel. Almost 130,000 customers will be traveling through the Auckland Airport on those days alone and we recommend that if you’re traveling on those days, make sure you get there in plenty of time, plan ahead and keep an eye on the Air New Zealand website for travel alerts or via the Air New Zealand App.

“The school holiday periods are always a busy period, but our team are working hard to ensure all of our customers receive the best flying experience – including our 6,500 unaccompanied minors and 340 fur-babies traveling during this time.”