United Airlines partner to start flying nonstop from O'Hare to NZ

Air NZ said Tuesday it will begin historic nonstop service 3 times a week between Chicago O’Hare International and Auckland, New Zealand Nov 30. United Airlines will codeshare on the new route, which will cover some 8,198 miles. The new Air NZ service will be the first-ever nonstop from Chicago to the South Pacific region. ORD-AKL will become one of the longer routes now flown in the world — requiring 15 hours to fly from Auckland to Chicago, and 16 hours from Chicago back to Auckland. United's extensive route system throughout the Midwest is expected to help funnel traffic to the new Chicago-Auckland route. The announcement of Air NZ’s entry into the Chicago market coincided with the news that United will extend its seasonal service between San Francisco and Auckland to year-round beginning in April 2019. <br/>