Your overseas holiday just got a whole lot cheaper
That dream surfing trip to Hawaii or stroll along The Bund in Shanghai could be a reality with the release of record low international airfares.
Flight Centre NZ has announced all- time low prices with return fares to Hawaii or Shanghai from just $ 699.
This comes t wo weeks after record- low prices to London were released for $ 1349 return.
“There has never been a better time to travel from New Zealand, it really is the ‘ golden era of travel’,” said Flight Centre NZ managing director David Coombes.
He said New Zealanders could thank the increase in inbound tourists and low fuel prices.
Two years ago Air New Zealand was the sole carrier to Hawaii and fares were about $ 2500. The latest fare of $ 699 means a staggering drop of 72 per cent.
“In the last 12 months we’ve seen more carriers come to New Zealand so there is a lot more competition.”
New Zealand’s largest travel show, Travel Expo, i s at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds this weekend and Coombes said some amazing deals would be available there.
Some of the record low fares include: Rarotonga return from $ 389 per person flying Virgin Australia; Sydney return from $ 355 flying China Airlines; Santiago, Chile, return for $ 1155 flying LATAM Airlines; Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo or Singapore return from $ 799 flying China Southern Airlines; London return from $ 1349 flying Air China; Paris return from $ 1249 flying Air China. “People can come along with a rough idea of where they want to go and get some great advice from the experts,” Coombes said. Aviation commentator Peter Clark told the Herald this month he believed low prices would continue as new airlines — including Qatar, Tianjin and Hong Kong – would soon be coming to New Zealand.
“There are extraordinary deals to be had at the moment and competition for customers will surely only increase as new hubs to Europe open up,” he said.
Sue Chetwin, chief executive of Consumer NZ, also believed Kiwi flyers would continue to be winners for some time yet.
“Brexit has not been all bad, especially for travelling Kiwis,” she said.
“Combined with a very good exchange rate and low oil prices, the latest cheap flights are very good news for the public. I expect even more tempting fares will appear in the future as competition for customers continues to grow.”