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Home » Air New Zealand » Continental Announces Nonstop 787 Service from Houston to Auckland
Air New ZealandCOContinental AirlinesNewsUnited Airlines

Continental Announces Nonstop 787 Service from Houston to Auckland

Matthew May 29, 2010 2 Comments

Although flights will not start for another year and a half (longer if Boeing runs into more production trouble), Continental announced that it will utilize its first 787 on a new Houston-Auckland route.

With 228 Economy and 36 lie-flat seats in Business Class, the new "Goldilocks" aircraft (not too big, not too small, just right) is perfect for the ~7,400 mile flight.

Summer Schedule

Houston – Auckland

Depart IAH 2130

Arrive AKL 0530 (+2 days)

Auckland-Houston

Depart AKL 1540

Arrive IAH 1150 (same day)

 

Winter Schedule

Houston – Auckland

Depart IAH 2110

Arrive AKL 0655 (+2 days)

Auckland-Houston

Depart AKL 1755

Arrive IAH 1155 (same day)

With CO’s entrance into Star Alliance, easy connections to 30+ destinations in New Zealand, Australia, and Oceania will be available. Plus, with UA flyers utilizing Bush Intercontinental to connect, CO should be well-positioned to enjoy success on a city that UA abandoned (LAX-AKL) four years ago. Air New Zealand will also be able to market the CO flight as a codeshare and offer their passengers easier U.S. connections to the South, Midwest, and East than going through LAX, SFO, or YVR.

Service is scheduled to begin on November 16, 2011. Much can happen between now and that time, but I am optimistic that UA/CO will succeed on this new route. I can understand why CO would want to showcase their new 787 on this "flagship" route, but I wonder if a UA three-cabin 777 or 747 might take it over eventually. A 7,400 mile flight seems to me to be a better flight to sell tri-cabin First Class seats on than a hop from Dulles to Brussels or Rome (for example). On the other hand, Houston is not Los Angeles or San Francisco and the 787 may indeed be the best aircraft for the route. Time will tell.

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About Author

Matthew

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 120 countries over the last decade. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera, Toronto Star, and on NPR. Studying international relations, American government, and later obtaining a law degree, Matthew has a plethora of knowledge outside the travel industry that leads to a unique writing perspective. He has served in the United States Air Force, on Capitol Hill, and in the White House. His Live and Let's Fly blog shares the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs and promotions, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel. His writings on penandpassport.com offer more general musings on life from the eyes of a frequent traveler. He also founded awardexpert.com, a highly-personalized consulting service that aids clients in the effective use of their credit card points and frequent flyer miles. Clients range from retirees seeking to carefully use their nest egg of points to multinational corporations entrusting Matthew with the direction and coordination of company travel.

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2 Comments

  1. kd5mdk Reply
    May 30, 2010 at 11:25 pm

    According to the announcement:

    The aircraft will have 228 seats, including 36 of Continental’s new flat-bed BusinessFirst seats for the best rest on long-distance flights.

    So there will be 228 total, 36J and 192Y. Over on the Continental board on FT there is some discussion of trying to figure out how much legroom that offers.

  2. Matthew Reply
    May 31, 2010 at 4:52 pm

    @kd5mdk: It will be interesting to see if Economy Plus survives the merger and is added to CO planes. I am hopeful that it will.

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