Fares up again

Press, 17 July 1980, Page 1

Fares up again

By

Les Bloxham,

Travel Editor International air fares for flights out of New Zealand have risen yet again. • Tickets . bought for travel after . -..gust 1 will cost 8 per cent more to the United States; 10.5 per cent more to Canada; and 3' per cent more to the United Kingdom and Europe. : • • /•- ~ y

“-The cheapest off-season round-trip ticket from Christchurch to Los . Angeles now costs $lOlO, almost double. the lowest rate. ‘ available a year ago ($522 budget fare). .As the .advantage of the $lOlO/iare'can..be obtained only ;> by. flying in both directions during the prescribed /off-season months, it'is. of ho use to anyone overseas f oblong periods. r., ■ then, the-/ cheapest, split-season fare? now is $1252, which’ isi? $565 or 82 pen cent more than the split-season budget- fare that.. - was available 12 months ago.

- The peak-season • fare has <in the same period climbed from $853 to $1494. .' f : ■ A spokesman for. Air New' Zealand said the higher rates related mainly?to higher fuel costs. .The comparatively big increases to the United States have been accentuated by the recent elimination of the budget-type fares that were introduced by Air New Zealand last year. , ■ The airlines chief executive (Mr M. R. Davis) said then that the discounted fares had been prepared with ; a dual intent — “first to safeguard New Zealand’s position as a key tourist destination within the South' Pacific for Americans; the second to provide attractive fares for ' ’aw - Zealanders. to visit;.' mainland- America and Honolulu. . . ” ' These budget. fares, including the cheap bne-wav rate from New Zealand to Los ngeles, were removed from the schedules last* ,-ionth without the fanfare that accompanied their introduction.