Pacific Blue Airlines plans Hamilton-Australia direct flights from September 1, 2009

Pacific Blue Airlines, based in Christchurch, New Zealand, will operate direct trans-Tasman flights between Hamilton in New Zealand and Australia from September 1, 2009.

The airline said it would fly 6 services to Australia each week – 3 to Sydney and 3 to Brisbane, thus “filling the gap that Air New Zealand left.”

In a press release, Pacific Blue Airlines, a subsidiary of the Australia-based airline Virgin Blue, said that online promotional fares for the Hamilton-Sydney flights are $169 one-way and $199 one-way for the Hamilton-Brisbane flight.

Regular lead-in one-way fares, Pacific Blue added, would start from $199 for the Hamilton-Sydney flight and from $299 for the Hamilton-Brisbane flight.

Fares, which are subject to availability, would be on sale from June 4, 2009, till June 2009 for travel from September 1, 2009, until December 10, 2009. 

The airline also said that the fares would cost $15 more if bought over telephone and there is a $4 credit/debit card fee per flight.

The flights are subject to regulatory approval, Pacific Blue Airlines said.

The airline said it planned to re-deploy some of its current trans-Tasman capacity to Waikato city in New Zealand to serve the direct flights.

Brett Godfrey, CEO of the Virgin Blue Group, said in the press release that the new direct flights from Hamilton to Australia were “in line with the airline’s strategy to look for underserved markets.”

Godfrey added that since Hamilton at present has no international services in place, “it was an obvious opportunity for us. Hamilton has become quite the destination city; it is also the fourth largest city in New Zealand, and the fact that it does not have trans-Tasman travel surprises us.”

International flights from Hamilton International Airport have been grounded since April 2009, when Air New Zealand, the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand, stopped its trans-Tasman service on April 25, 2009, on the ground that the service was “too expensive.”

In its heyday, Hamilton International Airport had two international airlines and 15 weekly flights to Australia and the Pacific. The airport witnessed a decline in recent years with Auckland Airport providing cheaper flights.