Jetstar and Air NZ cancels Auckland to Wellington Christmas Day flights

Jetstar and Air New Zealand have cancelled Christmas Day flights, disrupting passengers' plans. Jetstar Flight JQ261 was scheduled to leave Auckland for Wellington at 3.10 this afternoon. The flight has now been cancelled, according to Auckland Airport's online arrivals and departures board. This follows flight delays and a cancellation on Christmas Eve. Two Emirates/Qantas flights to Auckland from Dubai via Australia have been delayed. Other passengers also reported cancellations with Jetstar between Wellington to Auckland. A Jetstar spokeswoman blamed today's cancellation on "engineering issues requiring parts to be brought in". She said most of the passengers from the 3.10pm flight were rebooked onto another, whose departure time was less than an hour later. The new flight for the rest was less than three hours after the original flight's scheduled departure time. Two Air New Zealand flights were also cancelled today. The airline's Wellington to Hamilton flight at 9.45am this morning was cancelled, as was the 8.05am flight from Hamilton to Wellington.<br/>