Air New Zealand rerouting US flights through Hawaii as California cases and deaths surge

As the US remains unable to contain surges of the COVID-19 pandemic despite vaccines being distributed, Air NZ says it's rerouting flights to the country to reduce risk to staff members. From January 11, the airline will stop cargo flights in Honolulu and from February 2, passenger flights will also stop in the Hawaiin city. There, the aircrew will be swapped out during a "brief stop" before the flight continues to either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Both final destination cities are in the state of California, which over the past week has averaged 35,690 new cases and 335 coronavirus deaths per day. Rerouting through Honolulu will allow Air NZ aircrew to stay overnight "in a lower risk destination while still maintaining vital connections into North America", the airline says. When the passenger services start rerouting through Honolulu, it'll mean longer travel times for customers. Air NZ hasn't explained exactly how long in its media release, nor given any indication of how long the "brief stop" in Hawaii is. Air NZ is currently operating eight cargo flights and two passenger services per week between Aotearoa and Los Angeles, in addition to four cargo services between Aotearoa and San Francisco and one cargo service from Australia to North America. "While it's important to keep trade routes open and passenger services operating for our customers, looking after our people is our first priority," says Air NZ CEO Greg Foran.<br/>