No doubt we are all happy that the community of Norfolk Island is no longer burdened with the responsibility of running air services into Norfolk. Air New Zealand has served us well on the NZ/NLK run. It was, and remains, everyones hope that Air New Zealand on the Aussie run with the Aust. government support would give certainty and confidence and grow volume on the route. Growing volume can best be achieved by competitive fares.
My personal experience last week suggests we have a little way to go. My wife needed to go to Aust. for a visit to a medical specialist having recently had a knee replacement. The best fare she could get from Air NZ was $910 and if she wanted a choice of seat, another $30 each way. Eventually she got a seat on one of the few remaining Norfolk Air services for $700+. It is cheaper to go to Auckland than Sydney?. And this week Malaysian Airlines is offering seats to mainland China for a bit over $1000.
If this is the best we are going to get from Air NZ and the Aust. gov. economic recovery is a long way off.
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