Air New Zealand preparing 580,000 seats on domestic flights during winter school holidays 2023

Air New Zealand is anticipating over half a million passengers will fly with them domestically on 6500 flights during the upcoming school holidays, and is selling tens of thousands more airfares than were offered last year. Queenstown is the most popular destination, the airline said, with nearly 70,000 seats available in and out of the tourist hotspot from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The winter school break takes place from July 1 through to July 16 and includes the Matariki public holiday on July 14. Air NZ will offer 580,000 seats on flights across its domestic network during the period, which it said is 45,000 more than in 2022. Of course, this many people travelling at the same time will mean extra busy airports and extra pressure on staff. "Our teams are working hard to prepare for the holiday demand, including increasing staff numbers where needed and enabling more customers to self-serve during their travel experience," said Air NZ chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty. "We've seen huge demand for travel across Aotearoa New Zealand over the school holiday period… our goal is to provide customers with the smoothest travel experience possible." On AM, Geraghty offered some advice for travellers to help ensure a smooth journey during the busy time. "I would say get there a little earlier and give yourself plenty of time," she told host Ryan Bridge.<br/>