(CNN) – After 16 hours in the sky, Air New Zealand’s first-ever direct flight to New York City landed at JFK Airport on Sept. 17.
Flight NZ2 was first announced in March and has been a key cornerstone of the airline’s post-pandemic recovery. Its companion flight NZ1 flies the opposite route from JFK to Auckland in approximately 17.5 hours.
“As one of the greatest cities in the world, Air New Zealand is proud to add the Big Apple to its list of 29 international destinations,” Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said in a statement, adding that the flight will serve as its two Favorite cities in Switzerland connect the world.
New Zealand reopened to international tourists on July 31, 2022.
The airline’s desire to secure a seat at JFK has never been a secret.
When the flights were announced in early 2022, Foran said: “Traditionally, flight numbers 1 and 2 are used for an airline’s flagship route. And that will be New York – our flagship route.”
In addition to New York, Air New Zealand flies to five other destinations in the United States, including San Francisco and Honolulu.
With New York being the airline’s first (and currently only) direct East Coast service, passengers from New Zealand will find it easier to connect to North American and European hubs.
Everything on board has been designed to feel special for the inaugural voyage.
Meals on board consisted of New Zealand meats, wine and produce, including paua saucisson (abalone sausage), which made its flight debut.
According to the New Zealand Herald, Foran was on board himself and helped serve meals to customers in the Premium Economy and Economy cabins. Passengers reportedly clapped as the 787-9 Dreamliner touched down.
A number of New Zealand figures were on board the flight, including Stuart Nash, New Zealand’s tourism minister, and former Prime Minister Helen Clark. Current Prime Minister Jacinda Arden had reportedly planned to join, but had to travel to London for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral instead.
However, there was an unexpected crease over the weekend.
Some passengers on the NZ1 route from New York to Auckland found upon landing that their luggage had not made the journey.
“Unfortunately, due to additional fuel requirements due to adverse weather, some customer bags could not be loaded in New York and we are getting them to New Zealand as soon as possible,” Air New Zealand COO Alex Marren told CNN Travel.
“We are in touch with customers to update them and reunite them with their bags. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.”
The airline assures CNN that this was a one-off issue, adding, “We have processes in place to ensure our customers get to their destinations safely and are trying to reduce disruption as much as possible during an extreme weather event.”
Air New Zealand faces stiff competition in the battle for the world’s longest passenger flight.
Currently, the two longest flights in the world are both operated by Singapore Airlines – one between Singapore and New York’s JFK and one between Singapore and Newark International Airport. The former reaches a staggering 9,534 miles and spends around 18 hours in the air. Australia’s Qantas is one of ANZ’s main competitors and the airline refuses to be left out of the mix when it comes to long flights. It will start a long-haul flight from Melbourne to Dallas in December. Earlier this year, Qantas took a major step toward launching Project Sunrise, its long-held goal of establishing direct flights between Australia and the cities of New York and London.
The airline has ordered 12 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft and hopes the ultra-long-haul routes will be operational in 2025. These flights will surpass the 19-hour mark, making them the longest non-stop flights in the world.