The airline will be launching the only nonstop route between Los Angeles and Christchurch, via a three-times-weekly service by a B787-8 aircraft.

Come October 2020, American Airlines (AA) will be launching the only nonstop route between Los Angeles and Christchurch, via a three-times-weekly service by a B787-8 aircraft. The flight, which will take around 13 hours, will be operated between October 2020 to March 2021.

Passengers on these flights can also connect on to both Wellington and Melbourne, thanks to the major American airline’s recent joint venture with Qantas.

During the same period, AA will also start a new service between Dallas Fort Worth and Auckland, with flights initially operating three times a week with a B787-9 aircraft, before increasing to daily from December 1, 2020. Currently, the airline already has a seasonal service between Los Angeles and Auckland. AA already operates a seasonal service between Los Angeles and Auckland, a route which will recommence three weeks earlier next winter.

Vasu Raja, AA’s senior vice-president of network strategy, said: “The South Island sums up everything that our customers are looking for in New Zealand — adventure, culture, and wildlife found nowhere else.”

“We want to make their lifelong dreams a reality and bring New Zealand’s beauty even closer as the gateway to the South Island where you can drive, hike, cruise and fly to a variety of classic New Zealand experiences.”

More information here.